The Edge of Truth
by Goldielochs
Summary: Something is different about Bella. Edward thought his biggest problem would be keeping himself and his secret away from her, but instead he finds himself wrapped into the mystery of Bella. One truth and two lies. Can Edward figure it out?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I don't own these characters.**

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 **AN: This story has been nominated for Top Ten Best Fanfics completed in June '17. You can vote for it up until July 31st at www. twifanfictionsrecs .com. Thank you for your support!**

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Summary:

Something is different about Bella. Edward thought his biggest problem would be keeping himself and his secret away from her, but instead he finds himself wrapped into the mystery of Bella. Who is she? What has she done? Where is she now? More than those questions keeps Edward pulled in, its the way she plays the game. Edward has met his match.

[This story takes place after Tyler Crowly crashed into Bella's truck and after the hospital fight with Edward.]

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 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter One: Option 4

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Edward meticulously avoided Bella after the accident. He only moved when needed. He only spoke when spoken to. He only looked where he allowed himself to look. Like a ghost, he wandered the school's halls unnoticed by nearly everyone. Even the teachers forgot about him and stopped calling on him in class. When was the last time he had talked to anyone? Days? Weeks? Since his decision to stay away from her? Yes. It all started there. Edward had become all but invisible.

But not to the person this was all for. Not to Bella. Try as she might to hide it, she couldn't stop noticing him. His shadowy silence beside her in class. The eye changes from golden honey to moonless night black. The way he flew out of biology each day when class was over.

She scrutinized every aspect she could of Edward Cullen. She knew he was something. . . other. A beautiful other. An other trying to hide. An other trying to blend in.

Bella memorized his patterns. In the world of shadows, there were always rules attached to it. Rules that when followed, may not seem out of place to the normal eye but could be explained away by the protective lie your brain tells you to keep you from the shadow world. But Bella didn't have normal eyes. And her brain protected her in other ways. There was no need to deceive herself.

Then one day, Edward wasn't in school. None of the Cullens or Hale's were. Their normal table in the corner of the lunch room was empty. To Bella, it looked abandoned. No one would go near it, still, despite their absence. The Cullens and Hales still owned that spot. Whether they were there to enforce their stake to the lunch table real estate or not, it was an unspoken agreement the students unanimously but subconsciously acknowledged: "Don't go near the Cullens." Whatever space they hold claim to, would be cursed to their unapproachable domain. This was a rule, Bella noticed. Not a rule for them. . . a rule for everyone else.

Bella tapped the edges of her can before opening it.

"Hey, Angela." Bella started thoughtfully while lightly sipping a can of soda. They had just sat down at the usual lunch table. Bella knew they weren't here today the moment she parked her car this morning. She couldn't voice her question until now, when it would be obvious.

"Yeah?" The sweet shy girl looked up a little startled to be singled out.

"Is it normal. . . " Bella chose her words carefully. "Do the Cullens and Hales miss school a lot?"

Last time any of them skipped school, it was only Edward. He had been gone for nearly a week after the first day she came to school. This absence was different.

"Oh. Um. Yeah." Angela tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. She didn't like to gossip and wasn't sure if this constituted as such, but she trusted Bella. There was something about her that made her feel comfortable even though she only knew her for a few weeks. "The weather is nice. Dr. Cullen and his wife are like really into nature or something. His contract with the hospital. . . he's allowed to take off whenever the weather is nice." Her eyes shifted up and back down. "That's what I've heard." Angela hurried to cover up her words with as much honesty as possible. All she knew about them were rumors.

"So. They're out hiking or something?" Bella asked softly.

"Something like that." Angela chewed through a piece of lettuce. "Yeah. I think they go all the way to Mt. Rainier. They could be out a few days."

How coincidental. Bella would be out for a few days too. Would Edward come back tomorrow and wonder where Bella was? Or. . . perhaps their absence is for similar reasons? No. No. She was sure they were nothing like her. And she was nothing like them. It was only a coincidence of the timing. She knew what made her have to leave. Something entirely different was making them leave.

Another rule.

A smile crept onto Bella's face. She hid her smirk into the can of soda.

During biology at her empty desk, Bella began to hatch her plan. At first she was thrown by the absence of Edward's icy presence. But she needed this time to think. Instead of being downtrodden, this was a gift. A wrapped-up-in-blue-ribbon opportunity.

She waited until the classroom was empty before she walked over to the teacher.

"Mr. Mason." She greeted. His back was turned, wiping away the day's lessons on the whiteboard. "If it's alright with you. I can take Edward's homework to him."

"Edward?" The biology teacher rubbed his hands together after putting down the eraser. "Oh, right. He wasn't in class today, was he? Hmm." He stared finally into Bella's big brown doe eyes. He wasn't prepared for his reaction to them. He dropped his piece of chalk. "Er. Yes, of course. That's fine."

Pleased but unsurprised, Bella grinned and grabbed the extra paperwork. "Oh, and one more thing. . ." Bella straightened up and grabbed something from her backpack.

"I'll actually be out tomorrow as well. I've already done the assignments." She handed him the sheets. "I think you'll find them to your satisfaction."

"I'm sure I will." Mr. Mason sighed. Between Bella and Edward, there was nothing he could actually teach them.

He had forgotten that he didn't post the homework until today. He didn't catch there was no way for Bella to know what to do. His brain, like everyone else's, lied to him.

The groundwork had been laid. Bella climbed into the red truck. She confidently turned the key in the ignition. For the first time since she arrived, Bella felt exhilarated.

xoxoxo

Alice froze in the middle of her turn playing Jenga. The wooden blocks were perfectly still only hanging on by a single layer. They were trying to beat their last record.

"Alice?" Jasper cocked his head to the side. He knew this look. There was a vision. One that had surprised Alice. It was hard to surprise Alice.

Her eyebrows puckered. "Why didn't I see it sooner?"

"See what sooner?" Esme laid a hand on Alice's shoulder. Rosalie ran in from the garage then with Emmett at her heels.

"We need to hide." Alice's voice was low and fast. Her eyebrows were still forming a confused 'v' shape, but a wiry smile bloomed on her lips. Jasper could feel the range of emotions Alice felt, but he couldn't make sense of them. "Now." Alice commanded.

"Hide from what?" Jasper tensed up, his mind was already making up the best strategy for incoming attacks.

But Alice was already on her feet leading their family up the stairs. She keyed in the password for the security shutters on the back glass wall to close. The light streaming inside was shut off instantly by the hard metal gates. Their glimmering skin mellowed in the shadows.

"Alice?" Carlisle narrowed his eyes. "Hide from what?"

Just then the loud sound of an old chevy truck could be heard rumbling on the road. It was hesitating on the other end of the their driveway. The sound was unmistakable, even at such a distance.

"Her." Alice bit back a grin.

"Bella?" Emmett spat. "She's coming here?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Why?"

"I don't know." Alice shrugged. "But someone needs to warn Edward."

As usual, he was running like he did whenever he wasn't at school. Ever since the accident, Edward was wound up so tight, running was his only release from the shackles he had put on himself. They were all worried that something would happen to make him snap.

The others eyed one another warily. No one wanted to be the one to give the news that despite his best efforts, Bella still wasn't letting go.

What would he do? Would this push him over the edge? If so what direction? Which of the visions Alice saw would come true. Would he fall in love or would he destroy her?

"Fine. I'll do it." Alice sighed while flipping her phone out and punching in Edward's number.

"What?" Edward greeted coldly on the first ring.

"One, watch the attitude." Alice rolled her eyes. "Two, Bella is about to be at our house. Just thought you should know."

"What?" This time Edward said it with actual concern. "What is she doing there? What is she going to do?"

"I have no earthly idea." Alice said with unhidden irritation. "But it's not as if she can get into the hou-."

Edward stared at his phone as it gave off the dial tone of a disconnected call. His feet were already turning him around.

Xoxoxo

The sound of the truck door closing behind Bella clanged loudly and sharply. She didn't wince at the noise because she was too enamored by the beauty of the house in front of her. It was large, but that's not why it was beautiful. It was designed carefully. Not for someone who just wanted a big proud house. Not like those big mansions that someone just threw money into. No, Dr. Cullen's residence went beyond that into a personal zone. It was designed with art in mind. From the roof to the shutters on the window, there was a mix of old and new. A fusion of architecture that worked together to make something outstanding, something beyond nails and wood. The house breathed its own personality like the ocean. Bella took a brief moment to appreciate it, and another moment to add it her mental file of observations.

As if she had done so a hundred times, Bella hopped onto the porch. Completely at ease. What did she have to worry about? No one was home. They were out hiking.

Bella pulled out the homework and rang the doorbell. The more time passed, the wider Bella's grin grew. After a minute had gone by, she set the paper onto the porch. As she was straightening back up, she glanced up through the side windows.

Her eyes transfixed on the large white piano in the corner of a large living room. There was a whooshing sound that surprised Bella until she realized it was her breath escaping through her lips. She tilted her head and continued to stare at the piano. It called to her.

Bella had to do it now. She couldn't talk herself out of it even if she wanted to.

Kneeling by the doorknob, Bella twisted her hand around it. Locked. With steady fingers Bella pulled the bobby pin from her hair and slid it into the keyhole. This was not the first time she had to get in through a front door. She shimmied the bobby pin around for a moment to no avail, but she kept trying. Then finally she muttered something that sounded like a curse word under her breath. The door opened and Bella fell through over the threshold.

With a sigh, she picked herself back up and glanced around the white living room. It felt open and inviting with a three story high ceiling. A large spiraling staircase was centered in the room leading to three different levels, that all overlooked the living room. Two 'u' shaped hallways were separated by the space of the living room by height and a metal iron banister. It looked more like the courtyard of a very elegant hotel than a house. But 100x more intimate than a hotel.

"Wow." Bella muttered, taking in her surroundings. She took a deep breath and focused. Tucking her hair behind her ear with the bobby pin still in her hand, Bella marched over to her goal: The white baby grand piano.

With delicate fingers, she traced along the edges of the back as she walked further up to the keys. Gently, like someone dipping their toes into a body of water before plunging in, Bella played a few notes. The sound rung through the space so purely. The echoes of the note bounced around the different levels of the room. Satisfied, Bella sat down on the bench and positioned her hands in the starting chords of a song that had been on her mind. She closed her eyes as her fingers flew across the keys. A smile ripened on her face while music flowed under her command. It had been too long. The music was calling to her as it always does. How could she have neglected it for so long?

She forgot where she was. She forgot whose house she was in. She forgot that her body took up space at all. She was just a floating melody and a thrumming bass line. She existed only in the music. Then she opened her eyes and the room filled with silence and she fell back down into the piano bench. Her hands had completed the song and an understated sadness swept through Bella, starting with her hands and working its way to her toes.

Bella blinked and leaned back against the piano bench. Her brow furrowed as she stared at her hands. Something was off. She couldn't figure out what it was, but decided it was time to leave. She barely scooted the bench back to leave when-

"Breaking and entering is a criminal offense." Edward appeared with his back leaning against one of the columns holding up the staircase. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes were fierce with indignation.

Despite herself, Bella grinned wickedly. "There was no breaking. And there wasn't anything stolen either." She said smoothly.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "Whether or not that's true, you still entered uninvited. Trespassing is also a serious offense. I could call the cops."

"Yes." Bella murmured as she rose to her feet. "Yes. You could." She tilted her head, tauntingly. This was the first time since the fight in the hospital that Edward looked in her direction. She soaked it up and stared deeply back into his eyes.

"Tell me." Edward sputtered after a moment of an uncomfortable stare down. "Is this something you do often? Do you make a habit of breaking into people's homes?"

Bella laughed freely. "Well. I wouldn't say that."

If Edward's eyes could narrow anymore, they would just be slits in his flesh, too small to pass a coin through. "What would you say, then?"

"I have a terrible habit of being where I shouldn't be." She laughed again and pulled her hand through her hair.

Edward's features softened suddenly. "We can agree on that. You do end up where you don't belong."

"Normally I don't get caught." Bella muttered under her breath. She was so sure she was alone. Bella glanced up in time to see new questions forming in Edward's expression.

The brewing questions competed for admission. "Why did you come here?" Edward asked angrily. The red tone in his voice didn't seem to phase Bella.

"I saw the piano and I wanted to play it." Bella answered honestly.

Edward shook his head. "No. Why did you come here to begin with."

"You weren't at school today." Bella said slowly. "I was dropping off your homework."With a slow hand she pointed towards the open door to the homework laying under the mat.

Edward blinked. "Oh."

"I thought you'd be out hiking. That's what everyone said you did."

"Oh, so. If no one is home it's okay to break into someone's house? That's flawed logic."

"I'm sorry." Bella pleaded. "I really didn't mean to offend anyone coming in here. I truly am sorry. It was bad judgement. I just saw the piano and had to hear it. I can't explain." She shook her head and sighed. "Sorry."

Edward never moved from his position on the post. "I can still call the cops you know."

"I know." Bella admitted. She waited a moment. When Edward didn't move she continued. "Your secret is safe with me." A toothy grin spread across her face.

Edward's face darkened. "What secret?"

"That you're playing hooky." Bella cocked her head, trying to imagine what other secrets he had. He would tell her soon enough. "It's fine, you know. Everyone does it. Skipping school from time to time can be healthy. I won't be at school tomorrow either. I'll be out for a few days actually."

"Where will you be?" Edward straightened up. He didn't expect that. He didn't expect his metaphorical heart to drop knowing he wouldn't see her and not knowing where she would be.

"Oh." Bella sighed then laughed casually. "Somewhere I shouldn't be."

She grabbed her backpack and headed towards the open front door. In the distance she could hear small crickets and birds in the thicket outside.

Edward frowned. "Then maybe you shouldn't go."

Bella stopped and raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"The thing about bad habits," Edward tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Is that they can be changed. They can be broken."

"It really bothers you, doesn't it?" Bella turned around. "That you don't know."

"Where are you going?" Edward asked again. This time, she could hear it. She could hear how badly he wanted this information.

"Why do you want to know?" Bella asked and Edward was just as mystified as she was. Why did he want to know? Why did he care so much? He was doing so well. He was avoiding her like he planned. Why couldn't he walk away now? For one, Bella was in _his_ house. She would be the one that would have to walk away. He didn't want her to, but she should. She was right. She did go to places she should not. Next to Edward. . . This house. . . Forks in general.

She hummed at his silence. "And what would you do if I told you? Stop me? Follow me?" She arched her eyebrows and Edward was nearly taken aback by her bravery.

"I," Edward started and his voice fell into a whisper. "I just want to know you'll be okay. That you'll be safe." Why did he care so much? How had he let her do this to him? He had risked his family's well being by keeping her alive. He wouldn't let that go to waste.

The honest consideration hung in the air, but Bella broke it with a peel of laughter.

"Safe? Edward," Her heart curved the name possessively. Was this the first time she had spoken it aloud? "I can't make such promises."

"And why not?" Edward's anger rose again. If something happened to Bella. . . he would. . . he would. What? He needed to know where she would be, especially if she couldn't promise to be safe. He promised to stay away from her. . . but he couldn't let her walk into danger. Not alone.

"Nothing is safe. That's a false promise no one can give." She shrugged.

"Then will you tell me where you are going?" Edward pushed off from the column and stepped towards her. He stopped himself before he got too close. Her scent was heavy and still tempted her like the first day. He almost forgot about the monster lurking inside him. "Please." He added through his teeth.

Bella narrowed her eyes and gazed at Edward thoughtfully. He looked pained, but from what, she could only guess. Humming, Bella placed a hand to her chin.

"Would you tell me where you went after the first day I arrived?" Bella positioned. Would he give her what he wanted from her?

Edward's silence answered her question more than his words could.

"Interesting." She murmured.

Edward watched her like a hawk.

"As I see it, I have a few options." She began to pace in a slow small circle. "Option 1: I could say nothing. It's a strong option. One of your favorites, I see." Edward bristled under the judgement. "Option 2:" Bella continued. " I could lie to you." She said as if talking to herself.

Edward stopped a hiss from escaping him. He made himself wait patiently. She had more to say.

"But I don't stoop to your level."

Edward raised his eyebrows. She was talking about the lie he gave her to explain away his ability to save her during the car accident. She had spoken so effortlessly about the story he gave her to everyone, he thought maybe she had come to accept it as fact herself. Obviously not.

"Option 3." Bella continued. "I could tell you the truth." She stopped pacing and looked dead on at Edward. "But you don't deserve that."

She hadn't forgotten his promise to tell her what really happened. She knew he wasn't standing beside her when Tyler's van barrledd towards her that fateful day. She saw him across the parking lot. A broken promise. A promise he could never come through on. No. Edward didn't deserve her honesty. He could admit that. It hurt that he couldn't be deserving of it, but it was necessary to keep her safe.

Bella started pacing again. "There's a fourth option. Most people don't see it. It's right on the edge between truth and deceit." She stopped again. "Option 4:" Her voice mellowed out and softened as if she were speaking in a place of reverence. "I could give you doubt." Her eyes roamed over to Edward's face, to gauge his reaction.

Doubt? Edward's eyebrows furrowed. If only he could read her mind. How frustrating that she of all people was outside of his grasp of mind reading. This was not the problem he was used to. What was it that kept her thoughts from him? She was practically flaunting this exception in front of him.

"What do you mean by doubt?"

"Do you like puzzles, Edward?" Bella's tone oozed out absolutely wicked.

"That didn't answer my question." Edward growled.

"If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I did." Bella crossed her arms triumphantly. "I'm not going to tell you the truth of where I'm going. I'm not going to lie about where I'm going either. I'm not going to tell you at all."

"Then why-" Edward started.

"Before you can figure out what I'll be doing this weekend," Bella interrupted with a fiery passion. "You need to know who I was. I'm going to tell you who I used to be."

"Who you were?" Edward clarified. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, if you want to know where I'm going so desperately, I thought you would like to know who I was before I came to Forks, Washington." She built up to the question as her eyebrow raised. "Was I wrong?"

Edward sighed. "No." Despite his decision to stay away he wanted to know everything about her.

"Good." Bella smiled. "Now hand me your phone."

"What?"

"You seem confused a lot, Edward. Is something wrong with your hearing?"

"My hearing is fine." Edward rolled his eyes. If only she knew how well he could hear. "Why do you need my phone?" He persisted.

"So I can hack into your entire life and figure out what you are." Bella paused and watched Edward's face tighten. "I'm kidding. God, Edward. You need to relax. Trust me, I've given up on the mystery of Edward Cullen. You've made it clear that your case is closed."

Relief washed over him. At least she would stop trying to find the dark monster of Edward's existence. His family would find that acceptable. He could hear their thoughts, but he shoved them away. Especially Esme's. He didn't like the way she nearly burst with glee when Bella asked for his phone. This was a dangerous situation already. His family was no help but he wanted to talk to her alone.

"I'm just going to text my phone so I have your number." Bella held out her hand and enjoyed his hesitation. "I'm not going to call you five times a day, if that's what you're worried about."

Edward wouldn't have minded that he realized in shame. He was just shocked at the turn of events.

"Then what are you planning to do with my phone number? I thought you were going to tell me about your past?" Edward wasn't used to being behind in the conversation. He didn't like waiting for the person to speak to know what they had to say. Still, he handed over his phone and watched with amusement as Bella adeptly pulled up his contacts, entered her phone number and sent a message to her own phone. It buzzed in her pocket a moment later. Message received. She had his phone number. This was definitely not how Edward saw this interaction going. Everything was flipped upside down. Somehow she had changed the conversation from her breaking into his house and now she controlled the room as if it were hers all along. Was this how every human interacted? Surely not. No, Bella was different. What was it? Edward had no choice but to find out now. Bella counted on it. She wouldn't have to jump through hoops to get to Edward's secret. Edward was going to jump through her own hoops to get to hers.

"There, that wasn't too painful, was it?" Bella handed the phone back. He was impressed that she didn't try to look at the other names in his phone. There were only 9 contacts. A small list of people. A suspiciously small list of people. Perhaps if she noticed that, he could explain that away by how reserved he was. This was the least of his troubles.

Now that Bella had his phone number what would she do with it? Edward had her number too, but he felt like he wasn't allowed to use it unless he was approached first. An unspoken rule.

Bella slung her backpack on and turned once more for the door.

"What a second." Edward lunged after her. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Bella thought for a second. "No." She shrugged.

"You're supposed to tell me about yourself." Edward crossed his arms again.

"Oh." Bella breathed sarcastically. "Right, you don't like it when I promise to tell you something and then. . . I don't. How frustrating that must be."

Edward rolled his eyes. Where did she get off to talk to him like this? Wasn't she afraid? Could she not sense how deadly he was?

"Oh, I'll tell you." Bella said clearly. "You have my word."

Edward furrowed his brows trying to keep track. "But you're not going to make this easy." He guessed.

"Ah, you catch on quickly." A light hit Bella's eye. "I'm going to tell you three things about me."

"Three?" Edward cocked his head. That seemed oddly generous.

"Two of them will be lies, and only one of them will be the truth." Bella held his gaze. "I will be gone three days and on each day I'll send you a message." She nodded towards the phone still in Edward's hand. "A story that may contain a clue to my whereabouts this weekend. Or it may be made up horseshit." Bella shrugged. "Pardon my language. One truth and two lies."

"Doubt." Edward mused on what Bella said option 4 would contain. He almost laughed. "You're very clever."

"Are you suprised?"

"Not at all." Edward said softly. There it was. The line that he just jumped over. Alice was right, he couldn't stay away from her. Not now. He was hopelessly woven under her spell.

They stared at each other briefly, sizing each other up.

"Well." Bella sighed. "This all really depends though, doesn't it." She adjusted the straps on her shoulder.

"On what?" Edward played into her hand dully.

"If you're going to call the cops or not. You have every right to." She tapped her feet together guiltily.

Leaning back, Edward smiled. "Oh Bella. You know I'm not going to."

"You're right." She nodded. "You're not. For the same reason I'm doing this whole thing." Bella walked once more to the door and grabbed the handle.

"And what reason is that?" Edward cocked his head.

"You want to see what happens next." Bella stated confidently and then closed the door behind her.

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 **AN: If you got here, thanks for reading! Leave me a review if you want more. I have lots in store and can't wait to get to it.**

 **If you followed me after "Moonlight," I know. I know. It's not my Beau and Edward. Sorry!**

 **If you are a new or old reader to me. Hello! I hope you enjoy this story.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **\- Rosalie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

(TV show styled voice over)

Last time on _Edge of Truth:_

Bella and Edward hadn't spoken to each other since their argument at the hospital. Bella decided to do something about it by dropping off his homework when the Cullens were missing from school on a sunny day. While she was there, she broke into their residence to play Edward's piano. After Edward confronted her, Bella told him she was going to be out of town for three days. But in order for Edward to know what she would be doing, he had to figure out who she was before she came to Forks. But she's not making it easy on him. Every day that Bella is gone, she is going to send a message with a possible clue into her past. Only one of the stories will be true.

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 **Edge of Truth**

Chapter 2:

Teenager

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"Completely absurd." Edward muttered into his hands. What the hell just happened?

Bella's rumbling truck was just now going out of earshot, a much longer distance to the Cullens than to people of normal society. Carlisle and Esme descended down to the living room. As the head of the family, Carlisle felt the weight of responsibility. Everyone would look to him for direction and what to do. Yet Carlisle was having trouble forming a coherent sentence about the situation. He was just as baffled as Edward and didn't know what to think, to Edward's dismay. Edward was hoping Carlisle could shed some wisdom.

Esme kept her lips shut, but studied Edward hopefully. She wished she could have seen Bella and the look on Edward's face as she completely swept him off his feet. Her youngest, and yet oldest son had been so distant. . . so inhuman lately. The Edward in front of her now had thawed out. More than that. He was fiery, like a loose wire.

Emmett and Rosalie stayed on the second floor hallway and leaned over on the banister. Rosalie was pissed. "I can't believe she came in here." She scoffed. Her nose twitched repulsively when she inhaled and caught Bella's scent still hanging in the air. "This is the one place we can be ourselves. Our one refuge and she just breaks in and stinks up the place? Who does she think she is?" Emmett tried to rub her arm but Rosalie was passed calming down.

"You should have called the cops. She needs to learn her place."

"Rosalie." Carlisle tempered.

"No. It's for her own sake. If she can just waltz into a den of vampires, what else is she willing to do? She's nuts. Honestly, Carlisle. Have you ever encountered a human who wanted to break into a vampire's residence? She's mental. Edward's right. Something is wrong with her brain."

"Shut up, Rose. I didn't say that." Edward hissed.

"Um, yes you did." Rosalie rolled her eyes. She replayed the perfect memory of Edward talking about how he couldn't read Bella's mind. _-"It's like. . . something is wrong with her brain, like she's on a different frequency than everyone else."-_

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Edward retorted bitterly.

Emmett stretched. "Yeah, I don't know, Edward. I think I'm gonna have to agree with Rose on this one."

"Oh, there's a surprise." Edward muttered sarcastically, earning a patent pending "Mother's glare" from Esme.

"Yeah sorry, bro. Your girlfriend's insane." Emmett held up his hand, expecting the backlash. "But that's not really a bad thing. I mean. . . if she's gonna love you she'd have to be, right?" Emmett laughed and looked to Rosalie join in on the joke. Instead she just grimaced and careened down over the banister into the living room. "Okay, but real talk." Emmett continued. "When Alice first told us of the Bella visions, I felt bad for her, ya know? Not because of the imminent death part, which, yeah that sucks, but the part where she may. . . " Emmett searched for the right phrasing. ". . . be with you. Like, be around you for any length of time."

"Do you even realize how many times you've insulted me just now?" Edward raised his eyebrows, finding this more amusing than offensive. Emmett had an innocent nature about him.

"Like that." Emmett pointed his finger. "You're always so. . . so. . ."

"Perfect?" Edward provided with a smirk.

"Get off. I was gonna say 'pain in the ass' and you know it." Emmett rolled his eyes. "Anyway." Emmett dropped down into the living room with the rest of the family. "The point I'm trying to make is this. Hearing Edward constantly behind and flustered was great. I was wrong about Bella. She can hold her own against you. Well, at least in one aspect. Against your teeth, nah. Wit against wit though. . ." Emmett shrugged. "I'm just glad there's someone out there that doesn't have to deal with your constant mind invasion. You're not used to it and seeing you frustrated like that is a riot. I mean, my god, she tore you to pieces out there."

Edward sighed. He couldn't disagree with his brother. He had never felt so elated and nervous and dreadful all at once.

Rosalie shook her head, unconvinced and upset that Emmett was on the other team now."If you don't call the police, I will." The severity of her tone disarmed Edward.

"Rosalie, there's no need for that." Carlisle sighed. "She didn't do anything."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows. Didn't do anything? How could he say that. Did he not hear their conversation like everyone else did? Bella completely stumped him again and again and there wasn't anything he could possibly do about it - _Could possibly want to do about it._ Edward amended to himself.

"She picked our lock, forced her way into our house, and unsettled our family's sense of security." Rosalie replied logically. "I mean, just look at Edward. He's a mess. Have you ever seen him this torn up before? It's beginning to unravel him. It's all her fault. Believe me," Rosalie crossed her arms. "Calling the police would be the least of inconveniences I could do. She shouldn't get away with this."

Edward growled, reading the other actions Rosalie would only be too happy to follow through on.

"Stay away from her." Edward appeared in front of Rosalie, teeth bared and ready to fight.

"Oh, like how _you_ said you would stay away from her?" Rosalie rolled her eyes and shrugged off her brother's aggressive stance. "What happened to that, huh? You said you wouldn't talk to her or engage her in conversation again. Well, what do you call what happened here? I could have sworn I heard you leap at the opportunity to say hello."

"She came _here_ , Rosalie." Edward growled. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You could have just let her leave. You didn't have to intercede. She was on her way out when you swooped in."

"I thought she would run." Edward defended himself but he felt more like he was drowning than staying above water.

"Well you were wrong." Rosalie tisked.

"I know that, Rose." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. "I know that."

Edward straightened up and turned away from Rosalie, ignoring her. His favorite form of punishment when Rosalie got too power hungry.

"No one goes near her. No one calls the police." He commanded. "Non-negotiable." He eyed Carlisle and he nodded giving his approval. "We have no evidence she broke in. Only that she was here." He nodded towards the door where his homework laid on the porch behind it. "Besides, I doubt Chef Swan would arrest his own daughter. It's foolish."

"Edward's right." Carlisle nodded approvingly. "Calling the cops and completing a claim would only draw attention to ourselves. There would be too many questions."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Edward just wants to play Bella's stupid weird game. And playing it is stupid and weird and also, newsflash: Edward wants to kill Bella. If we stop this at the source, then our family gets to go back to the status quo and Bella stays alive. Everyone wins."

"I don't want to kill her." Edward barked.

"Part of you does." Rosalie retorted. "Come on, Eddie. You can't deny that a piece of you craves her blood. You said it yourself, if you get too close. . . " Rosalie made a snapping gesture with her hands. "Bye bye, Bella."

Edward held up his hands, not in a way to silence Rosalie, but in a way someone raises their hand when they've realized something is off. Like they've realized something is missing. "Where are Alice and Jasper?"

Five heads snapped up, realizing their absence.

"They're gone." Esme whispered, heartbroken.

Hissing, Edward ran upstairs. He could smell that they were no longer in the house but he looked anyway. He checked Alice's room first. Empty. Then he went into Jasper's. Empty as well. No sign or note of where they went.

"Great. Now I have to figure that out too." Edward grumbled. They were already out of range of Edward's mind reading ability. They must have left while Bella was still here. He was so focused on her, anything could have slipped past him.

When he walked out of Jasper's room, he leaned down over the rail. "Has someone tried calling them?"

Esme was the first one to pull out her phone. She didn't like it when her children left unannounced. It stung, but worse, she worried.

"Jasper?" Esme's voice breathed out in relief. "We thought you two had vanished. Oh yes. . . . Huh. . . . Mhm. . . Okay, no. . . I understand and I agree." Esme smiled at the same time Edward groaned. He overheard the conversation through Esme's thoughts.

Emmett looked at Edward. "What is it?"

"Alice and Jasper are taking an impromptu vacation." Edward said through his left hand which covered his face in aggravation.

"Why?" Carlisle looked between Edward and Esme as she just got off the phone.

"Alice, " Esme informed everyone. "Doesn't want Edward to cheat."

"Cheat?" Emmett raised his eyebrows. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Rosalie groaned. "This is ridiculous. Don't you see, Emmett? This whole thing with Bella started because Edward wanted to know where and what Bella was doing this weekend. Bella being a psychotic nutcase, decided to make a game of it. If Alice saw anything pertaining to Bella, and Edward was around to read it, then that would be _cheating_. Alice wants Edward to figure this out on his own. She probably thinks that increases the chances that Edward would fall in love with Bella like she wants."

"You know I'm right here, don't you?" Edward rolled his eyes. It was the strangest thing for them to be talking about who he could love or not. Especially under these circumstances.

"Yes, Edward. I know you're there. You're always there because the whole world revolves around you doesn't it?" She grabbed Emmett's hand. "You're not the only one that could be affected if this game ends in a horror story. Come on, Em." Rosalie pulled on Emmett and they retreated back into the garage.

Relieved that Rosalie had given up, Edward slumped over to the piano bench. He didn't have to defend himself anymore, or defend Bella. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts and process everything fully. One of the downsides to living with such a large family was never having any personal space.

It was easier that Alice and Jasper weren't here. But also harder at the same time. He thought he could count on Alice to help him. Didn't she want Bella to be safe?

Carlisle and Esme were still watching Edward, but he pushed their minds to the side as best he could. Instead, he imagined Bella sitting on the bench just as she had moments ago. Her hands gliding across the keys. It seemed unreal, like a memory of a dream. The more he replayed it in his mind, the more at risk he was of losing it from his grasp, like trying to hold a cloud. An issue he never felt before with his perfect memory.

Bella created such a lonely and sad melody. The house had been drenched in the cascading music. Her incredible skill at the piano baffled Edward first. Her family had all been taken aback.

No one had played the piano in a few months. Esme tried to hide her delight that the ivories had been tickled again. She loved to hear Edward play but he hadn't been able to. It was almost ironic that Bella would be the one to bring music back into house. Bella was the reason it had been sucked out. No, it wasn't Bella. It was the absence of Bella. And then, she just waltzes in as if she could patch up the problem herself.

Bella's musical ability was surprising, yes. But that's not what put Edward on edge. How could he explain it to his family? They wouldn't believe him. Perhaps he was mistaken. Yes, he had to be mistaken.

The song she played. . .it was so familiar. Maybe he heard the melody on the radio somehow or in the thoughts of a student and didn't realize it. But he was so sure that had. . . No. There had to be reasonable explanation. To entertain the thought further would drive him mad.

Still. To hear the song aloud was surreal. To hear the song being played by Bella was heartbreaking.

Edward hesitantly unraveled his head and hands. Carefully, he positioned the tips of his fingers on the chords that still echoed through him.

 _One truth. Two lies._

" _Where are you going?"_

" _Oh, somewhere I shouldn't be."_

Edward's fingers angrily played out what Bella had so sweetly played before him. He had the melody memorized, but he couldn't execute the score the same way.

" _Tell me. Is this something you do often?"_

" _I have a terrible habit of being where I shouldn't be."_

Bella was making an awful big fuss just to get to the bottom of her weekend plans. She wouldn't be at her house. She wouldn't be in town. Not somewhere he could easily find her, somewhere she shouldn't be.

" _I could tell you the truth." A sad smile on her pink lips. "But you don't deserve it."_

The melody turned sour beneath Edward's hands. He stared absently to the side, not even paying attention to what he was doing.

" _There is a fourth option."_

Did she know all along? Was this her plan from the beginning?

One truth. Two lies.

" _I could give you doubt."_

Edward ending the song with a sharp crash over several disjointed keys and hung his head in frustration.

Carlisle and Esme shared a wary glance. Esme stepped forward wanting to comfort him. Her pale arm was outstretched towards his shoulder.

Suddenly, Edward started laughing. The sound surprised him. He had forgotten what it felt like: joy bubbling up out of him like volcano.

He ended the laugh with a deep sigh then glanced at Carlisle.

"Over one hundred years I've been seventeen," Edward began to explain. "And I finally feel like a teenager." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood up. "Oh, it's awful."

"What's wrong?" Esme asked comfortingly.

"I'm just. . . confused." Edward blinked. "I've never been confused. And that's confusing."

The phone in his pocket buzzed. If Edward could fly, he probably would have broken the ceiling. _It's her._

"Um. I'll be in my room." Edward managed to get out, but he was already running up the stairs. He didn't have to read minds to know that his surrogate parents were amused at the wildly quick mood swings. He wanted to be alone. No onlookers or eavesdroppers. The door closed behind him. While pulling out his phone, Edward tossed himself longways onto his couch. He sank into the leather cushions just as his heart did.

1 Unread message: Alice

It wasn't Bella. How foolish he was to think it would be her already. More than that, he had to admit how excited he was just to hear from her. Was it too late for him? Did he even have a chance?

Did he want to love Bella because he knew it was a possible future? Or did he want to love Bella because she is a stubborn enigmatic beautiful fascinating mystery? He couldn't rule out the self fulfilling prophecy aspect. More often than not, Alice's visions became true not because of her accuracy, just because she spoke them aloud. For weeks he pushed those visions to the side but he brought them up to the forefront of his mind again. Examined them like Carlisle would an x-ray.

 _Bella wrapped around Edward's waist. Edward's arm around her shoulder pulling her closer. Both seemed happy._

He didn't understand this one. How could she be happy with him. He didn't understand how he could be so close to her. The other vision made entirely too much sense.

 _Bella folded over in Edward's clutches. Blood running down her neck. Her eyes flat and lifeless. Horror and pain in Edward's._

A horrible vision, but this one made more sense.

He couldn't deny his feelings about Bella. But maybe if Alice hadn't said anything he wouldn't have understood them and wouldn't feel so tortured right now. Grumbling, Edward turned over onto his side.

Buzz.

2 Unread messages: Alice

Aggravated, Edward opened the messages up.

 _Alice: I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye. I had a hard vision of Jasper and I leaving before you confronted her. I only got bits of pieces of why I had to leave. So what happened?_

Edward rolled his eyes.

 _Alice: I saw that eye roll, loser_.

He laughed then and replied with the details of their conversation. How Bella talked herself out of being in trouble for trespassing and played right into Edward's weaknesses. More than that, how she outplayed him and structured a puzzle. One that he knew he had to solve.

 _Alice: So what are you going to do?_

 _Edward: I guess I have to wait. Can I ask one favor?_

 _Alice: That depends._

 _Edward: Can you at least see and tell me if she will be okay this weekend? If she will be safe?_

A few minutes passed. Edward grew more nervous with each passing second. What if this weekend, something bad does happen? What if he doesn't know how to help her. What if he never sees her again?

Buzz.

 _Alice: She will be at school on Monday._

Edward sighed in relief until he realized that was an odd way to answer his question. He didn't ask if Bella would be at school. He asked if she would be safe. Was she withholding information because she didn't want to interfere with the game or because Bella wasn't going to be safe?

He began to type out a new question but Alice messaged him first before he finished.

 _Alice: Honestly, Edward. That's all I can tell you. That's all I can see. I promise. Humans are hard for me._

Edward relinquished his interrogation for now. Still he had a gnawing feeling in his mid section. Alice started the text conversation. She could have just called. But it's easier to lie over SMS.

He was still comforted that he would see Bella again on Monday. What would she do? Should he try to get her alone, perhaps at lunch?

He stopped himself from going there right now. There were three days until Monday. And something told him the time between now and then would be long and hard. Just thinking about waiting until tomorrow seemed like a million forevers.

He didn't want to text Alice again. When his phone buzzed in his hand he debated on whether or not to even open it. He sighed. Alice probably expected an apology or thanks or some other social nicety that he wasn't prepared to give just then. Reluctantly he glanced down at the lock screen. If his heart were still beating, it would have skipped.

1 Unread message: Made You Look

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 **AN: Thanks so much for kind reviews on my first chapter! They make my day (and make me write faster).**

 **I hope you enjoyed the read.**

 **If you like it make sure you are following and if you want more give me a review!**

 **xoxo**

 **\- Rosalie**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters etc etc.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter 3: Lipstick

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Bella yawned and stretched her fingers out, feeling the tendons tighten along the side of her spine. Mornings were the time of day that Bella had a heightened awareness of her body. The time on her engraved watch read 10:15, but the lights flashing rhythmically across her face as the car drove passed said otherwise.

"Did you get your toothbrush?" Charlie asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Yeah, dad." Bella leaned her head against the cruiser's passenger side window. "Got my toothbrush." The condensation from the window clung onto her forehead. Bella rolled her face side to side so that her whole forehead was covered in comfortingly cold dampness.

"Well, if you forgot something you can always just go to the store." Charlie mumbled.

"I know how stores work, dad." Bella rolled her eyes. Then after a second, "Sorry. Teenager moment."

Charlie only nodded back in response. He had been a father for 17 years but he wasn't good at it. He knew it. His daughter knew it too. It wasn't his fault. Not really. Like everything, to be good at something, you have to practice. Bella only saw Charlie once maybe twice a year for a few weeks at a time. On the spectrum of relationships, they were leaning more towards strangers.

"Getting closer. We're making good time." Charlie spoke aloud, mostly to himself. He looked over to Bella and saw her focused on something on her phone. "What are you doing?"

Bella hid her grimace behind a curtain of hair. Charlie normally didn't ask questions. "A project I'm working on." She answered unassumingly.

"Is it for school?"

"Yeah. It's due soon."

Charlie nodded again. They drove in silence the rest of the way.

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1 Unread Message: Made You Look

While Edward stared at his phone he had to remind himself to be gentle with it. If he lost control, he might break it.

 _Made You Look: Gotcha._

He tutted and leaned back on the couch while he typed out his response.

 _Edward: Odd, I don't know anyone named "Made You Look."_

 _Made You Look: It's funny and you know it._

 _Edward: Mom told me not to talk to strangers._

 _Made You Look: Is that why you stay in your corner and pretend that no one else exists?_

 _Edward: No one else is worth the conversation._

 _Made You Look: Parents mean well but sometimes you have to break the rules. Live on the wild side. Let your hair down (unless it's your hair, which seems to defy gravity on its own volition). Life isn't contained within the confines of a safety net._

 _Edward: I'm sorry, who is this again?_

 _Made You Look: The girl who thinks your jokes are shit._

 _Edward: Fair enough._

 _Made You Look: Change my name to whatever you want. You'll hear from me again tomorrow._

 _Edward: What if I don't want to play your silly game?_

As soon as he hit send, Edward began to panic. He was only just trying to gauge her reaction. What if she agreed to leave it all alone? Ten minutes went by. Then an hour. And another hour. No response. It was 1 am and Edward was pacing back and forth in his room. _Dammit, Edward._ He cursed himself. This is why he hated texting. It wasn't a real conversation. Not when the other person can leave without any explanation.

The sky began to lighten. Esme knocked on his door.

"Are you going to school today? The clouds are back." _-He's been pacing all night. He looks like a mess.-_ "Rose and Emmett are about to head out. We weren't sure if you were. . . up to it."

Edward thought through several reasons not to go, but the pro-school list won out.

When Edward arrived at school he only had one mission: get through it.

It was just another school day. No one seemed to notice anything was missing. That is until lunch. Edward was tagging along behind Rose and Emmett as they went through the lunch line. He randomly picked food onto his plate and was about to ring out when Mike asked where Bella was.

"Did she say where she was going?" He turned to Jessica.

The girl with curly brown hair shrugged, but when Mike turned away, she spoke up. "Oh, I just remembered something about seeing her mom or something. I think she went to Jacksonville."

Edward crushed a can of soda between his fingers and the fizzy liquid sprayed everywhere. Could it be that simple?

"My apologies." He looked at the freshman girl next to him who likewise got covered in soda. "I'll get paper towels."

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"You'll call me when you land, right?" Charlie asked for the second time as he pulled up to the drop off lane.

"Yes, dad. I'll call you when I land. My phone is at 87%. I have a charger in my backpack, front side, left pocket. My ID is in my wallet. And the book I brought this time is the thriller _Behind Her Eyes_ by Sarah Pinborough." Bella went through the checklist. Everything was accounted for.

"What about your boarding pass?"

Well, except that. Bella patted her pockets. "Oh, um."

"Not to worry, I printed them off last night. Figured you would forget something." Charlie winked as he pulled out the boarding passes from his front pocket. "Be safe. Don't talk to strangers and tell your mother I said hello."

"Will do. Thanks, dad." She clutched the large white sheets in her grasp. "See you in a few days." Bella hugged Charlie awkwardly over the console and then backed out of the cruiser.

When the electric doors swung open, Bella turned back and waved once more to Charlie. He looked oddly small in the cruiser. She walked in and was greeted by the overplayed recording of some B-list celebrity welcoming passengers to the Seattle-Tacoma airport. It was early morning and the airport was waking up to the hustle and bustle of passengers and crew who had places to be.

Two huge screens displayed the incoming and outgoing flights. She studied it for a few minutes. Glancing to the side, Bella spied a large sign directing passengers to the security checkpoints so they can be allowed into the concourses. She walked passed it and headed for the elevator in the corner mostly used by employees. On her way, she crumbled up her boarding passes and threw them in a passing janitor's trashcan.

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1 Unread message: Bella

Edward lurched forward in his chair. It was her. She texted back. Not just a reply. But this was the first message; the first clue. He didn't know what to expect.

He opened a picture up. After a short load screen he found himself staring at a copy of a newspaper clipping. He zoomed in on the date to read-

"Edward. No hay teléfonos en clase. Conoces las reglas." Why did his spanish instructor choose now to pay attention? Edward felt like the universe was out for him today.

"Perdón profesor. No volverá a suceder." He reluctantly put his phone back into his pocket. Satisfied, the teacher went on to talk about past tense verbs.

A newspaper article? The headline was written in french. What could she possible be trying to get across? He shook his head. Of course, Bella wouldn't just come right out and say the story. Edward had to figure that out too.

"You're driving home." He threw his keys to Rosalie who caught them on her pinky finger without looking. A mass of students spilled out into the parking lot.

"Good. You drive slow."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Whatever, just drive." Edward grumbled as he slid into the backseat.

He pulled up the picture again. An old newspaper clipping from Le Monde, a local daily newspaper located in Paris, France. That date was mid june of last year. Edward's Spanish was flawless but his French still had work to do. However, he was proficient enough to read the bold headline: Lancer de Rouge à Lèvres Cible la Redevance

Lipstick Thief Targets Royalty.

The picture shown in the article was of a visiting diplomat wearing a gold necklace with a red gem in the center surrounded by diamonds. It was the last known photograph of the jewelry before it was taken. The Queen of England had lent it to the French Ambassador during an environmental meeting in Paris when it was stolen.

"What?" Edward breathed. "What does this mean?"

Emmett turned around in his seat. "You okay?"

"Bella sent me a clipping of a newspaper. But it's all in French. It's about how some jewelry was stolen last year in Paris. I don't see how this has anything to do with Bella."

"She's insane, Edward." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Nothing she does will make sense."

1 unread message: Bella

"She sent another picture."

Another newspaper clipping. Only this newspaper was in Italian. The issue was dated May of last year from la Repubblica. Another bold headline: Milioni di dollari rubati con un bacio.

"Millions of dollars stolen with a kiss."

Being fluent in Italian, Edward raced through what was visible of the article. A business owner from Dubai was vacationing in Venice. After an evening out, he returned to see his safe opened and cleaned out. Security cameras picked up no intruders nor did the security officers remember anything a miss. The only clue left behind was a perfect red lipstick print on the handle of the safe.

Edward raced into the house before Rosalie even pulled into the driveway. He got onto the computer and immediately looked up the articles.

They were real. Bella hadn't fabricated anything or altered any dates or lines. The newspaper clippings were from actual sources with actual information. This wasn't just some hoax Bella threw together. Whether or not she had anything to do with these articles, they existed.

He found more articles on the purported "Lipstick Thief." Dozens of crimes committed, not just thievery, but all with the lipstick calling card. However, analysts began to believe that there may be copy cats. The most recent article about the Lipstick Thief was from a month and a half ago. "No Leads on Lipstick Thief" an article in Great Britain reported.

"Crime analysts are determining which, if any, of the white collar crimes have been committed by the original Lipstick Thief. The Press Commander over Scotland Yard said in a statement on Friday, 'We have a suspect in custody. However, we have reason to believe that the robbery on Brown Street was not the work of the original Lipstick Thief.' When asked why they didn't suspect the person in custody as the the original thief, the commander chuckled. 'Well, we compared their lips and they don't match up. The original Lipstick Thief is still at large.'"

Edward leaned back. So Bella sent two articles about an international cat burglar. One in France and one in Italy. These two seemed to be universally accepted as actually being performed by the original. There were other thefts reported online that Edward found that were up for debate, like the one on Brown St. But Bella didn't send article on those. Some even said that there was never just one lipstick thief, that perhaps these were committed by an organisation. Forums online suggest that police units should start collecting data on lip prints. Government entities have issued statements saying that the implementation of such practices would be a waste of resources and impossible to coordinate.

Edward shook his head. What was Bella trying to imply? There wasn't a connection to Bella at all in this stories. Edward was about to take a break when his phone buzzed a third time.

1 Unread message: Bella

Another newspaper article. This was from a local state paper, the Arizona Republic. The date read two years ago from April. "Things Heat Up: State Senate Race is Underway."

He scanned the headlining article about the local senate race. This wasn't right. Did she send the wrong picture? There was nothing about the Lipstick Thief in here. The other two were obviously connected. They were both from major news sources in foreign countries about a series of crime sprees by a single famed thief. This third one was just an article from a failing state paper about a boring local election cycle. What was the connection? What was he missing? There was absolutely nothing in the main story. There was a small blurb about younger high school students sneaking into proms. An ad for lawn care. A correction on a statement from the last issue.

Then he caught it. A small ad in the corner: "Reward for information on missing Rolex Watch. Last seen at the Grand Hotel. Engraved. Please contact Precinct 220 for details."

Edward started to breath harder. Was Bella insinuating that this was the first target of the Lipstick Thief?

Edward checked the forums again. There was nothing about the missing Rolex there. It wasn't a part of anyone's theories. No one else made this connection. This was new information that only someone intimately involved would know.

Then Edward googled the Grand Hotel. It was a five star rated hotel in downtown Phoenix. Phoenix. The city Bella grew up in. At the time of this article, Bella would have been a freshman. She probably wouldn't even have her driver's license. Edward attempted to find more information on the crime but there wasn't much. No one seemed to care about the stolen watch. Not even the police.

However he was able to access public records. There was a public police report hastily filled out. "Camera footage showed no intruder. Safe was not tampered with. Probably just misplaced." Then in the margins was a small note: "Lipstick smudge on door."

Lipstick. A traveler. Missing jewelry. It checked all the boxes.

Edward recalled the way Bella easily unlocked the door and broke into the house. No hesitation. No struggle.

" _I usually don't get caught."_ She had muttered under her breath.

This was the first story. Bella: The Lipstick Thief.

It was impossible. Edward narrowed his eyes at the computer screen. Bella couldn't be the international thief. No way. She was just a seventeen year old girl.

But then Edward began to doubt. It felt so real. And Bella wasn't like the other teenagers in school. She was private and reserved but then also witty and insanely intelligent. Edward scrolled up on their text conversations. Something she said earlier didn't sit well and had been on the back of his mind. ". . . sometimes you have to break the rules."

Edward huffed. He didn't want to believe this story. It was absurd to entertain the thought. But it was the only story he had at the moment. The story laid before him had been carefully crafted to take him on a journey to conclude that Bella was this mystery figure. She never said it outright, but it was her intention for Edward to make his deductions. She turned him into a detective. A detective trying to catch a cat burglar.

If Bella was the Lipstick Thief then what was she doing this weekend? Or more accurately, what was she stealing this weekend? He felt his gut tighten. The evasions from both Bella and his sister on whether or not she would be safe. Bella was in danger. In danger of being caught red handed. Or red lipped in this case.

If she wasn't the Lipstick Thief then how did Bella know about the crime sprees to begin with? How did she find this page in the Arizona paper from two years ago? A seemingly insignificant detail that no one else in the world would have connected. No one else but Bella.

Edward stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose. If this was just today's story, what on earth did Bella plan on showing him tomorrow?

* * *

 **AN: I have a head cold. So I'm not sure if this makes sense and flows like I want it to. I just wanted you guys to get your toes into the action.  
**

 **Tell me what you think! If you have theories or predictions, let me know. I'd love to hear them. Ask me questions if you have 'em. I may answer.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

 **AN: I didn't think I would have this chapter out until later this week, but your reviews kept me going. The more reviews I get, the more I write. Thank you so much for reading my story! I love getting your responses. I'm glad you like it.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter 4: Caged Bee Cafe

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Bella walked down a long concrete corridor. The dull fluorescent lights flickered overhead. She scowled into the dim lighting. The headache that started before she left grew worse. She would have to do it soon. She couldn't put it off any longer.

Her steps echoed so heavily it sounded like three pairs of feet were walking. As she rounded a corner, Bella stopped suddenly and closed her eyes. She held her breath and listened intently to the noises around her. The buzzing from the blinking lights. A water drop from the ceiling. A rolling thunder in the distance. The echo of footsteps that lasted just a hair too long.

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"What have you been up to?" Carlisle asked, not looking away from the book of neurology in his lap.

"Nothing." Edward said too quickly as he turned to close the front door behind him. The light of the sun was just peering over the horizon. Just a hint of morning on the edge of darkness.

"Mhmm." Carlisle hummed and arched his eyebrows. _-Doesn't smell like nothing. You've been at her house, haven't you?"-_

Edward sighed and shrugged. "I thought maybe I could find something useful."

 _-Any success?-_

"Not really." Edward leaned back into the chair opposite Carlisle. "I'm not even sure what I should be looking for."

Carlisle looked up from his book then. _-What were you expecting?-_

"Something to prove it wrong." Edward stared at his hands. "Something to prove that she wasn't a criminal."

Carlisle placed a finger to his lips in thought. "Do you have enough evidence to prove that she ever was one?"

"Not really, no." Edward furrowed his brows. "But-"

 _-But she made you think there was something to be suspicious of?-_

"Yes." Edward breathed. "But I don't _know._ I can't be certain."

Carlisle studied him over for a second like he would a patient in triage. _-She's hit a nerve.-_

Edward rolled his eyes at the assessment.

"Hypothetically," Carlisle started slowly, "What would you do if today she said she was a drug dealer. And then tomorrow she said she was a murderer. And you never knew which one she was. What would happen on Monday?" _-I know how strong your sense of justice is.-_

Edward blinked. He thought for a long time, immersing himself in the scenario. If Bella was by human definition "bad" . . . what would he think of her?

"I would. . . " He swallowed a lump in his throat that had nothing to do with the thirst. "I would just be glad to see her again." He answered as honestly as he could. "It changes nothing."

 _-Do you think she would offer you the same grace?-_

Edward hissed and rocketed onto his feet. "It's not the same." The words slid out from behind his teeth. "I'm not-she can't-"

"Easy, easy." Carlisle waved his hands. _-It was just a hypothetical.-_

"You were trying to trick me." Edward scoffed.

"I'm not as good at it as Bella is, it appears." Carlisle said good humored and opened his book. "And I wasn't trying to trick you."

Edward sighed, "I know." He ruffled his hands through his bronze hair, which only made it puffier. "I'm just on edge."

Carlisle flipped to a new page in his book. "She's just a girl, Edward."

Edward stared at him for a moment, incredulous.

Carlisle glanced up to meet his eyes. "Problem?"

Edward opened his mouth for a second as if about to answer, but then he changed his mind with a minute shake of his head. The breeze caused by Edward's quick retreat into his room rustled the page Carlisle was reading.

Patiently Edward waited. He was thankful for the weekend. Nothing required him to keep up appearances in town today. For hours he moved less than a statue. Then his phone buzzed and like magic Edward awoke into a living being.

1 Unread Message: Bella

This time it wasn't a newspaper clipping. It wasn't an article. It wasn't a report on some international thief. She sent him an audio file. Edward flipped his sound on, nervous for what may be on it.

It was music. Well, it was played on a piano but it wasn't very melodic. The chords jumped around, not going into each other and it ended unresolved. It was no song Edward was familiar with. But something about it was familiar. The chords progressed like someone practicing their technique or running drills. This wasn't a song. It was practice. But the chords skipped the progression or did some twice in a row, sometimes a chord would circle back. There didn't seem to be rhyme or reason. There were two pauses between the playing of chords. They were full rest notes.

Edward ran down to his piano and played along with the audio clip. Five chords then rest, three chords then rest, four chords and finish. Was this supposed to mean something? Was something hidden inside?

Edward wondered if it had something to do with the number of chords. 3:4:5: were the measurements of a right triangle. Perhaps it had something to do with numbers. He mapped out the number of notes between each chord. He was halfway through when he almost smacked himself in the head.

"Idiot." He muttered to himself. "It's so simple."

He played along to the audio clip once more while repeating the names of each chord. "C. A. G. E. D. rest B. E. E. rest. C.A.F.E." He jumped up. "That's it. Caged bee cafe." He was about to congratulate himself when he realized that meant nothing to him and he was no closer to knowing what today's message was.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Bella opened her eyes as a shadow passed her face. She started walking down the hallway again and the echoing footsteps greeted her back. Inhaling deeply, Bella tried to steady her nerves. She'd been preparing for this for months. To cope, she began whistling. The notes were disjointed and the pitch faded eerily down the concrete corridor. It was the same progression of notes that she would send Edward in due time.

He hadn't replied to her first story. She wondered if he would wait to text her again until she had given him everything. It would be better that way, but she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. If he was able to translate the newspapers. If he had realized that she was incriminating herself. She wanted to know what he would think of Bella the Lipstick Thief. If he believed it could be true or if he denied it.

She had to remind herself to be patient. She would know soon enough. Everything has its timing, like the notes on a sheet of music.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

1 Unread Message: Bella

It was another audio file. This time Edward had no trouble at all deciphering the message within the chords. "Effaced facade." Edward muttered to himself back in his room. He started pacing again while running over the words in his mind. He twisted them, defined them, redefined them, anagrammed them, assigned numerical values, but he kept running into a wall. She was giving him answers to a question that hadn't been asked.

Edward almost went across the hall to knock on Alice's door. _Oh, that's right._ She's not here. He missed Alice. He missed their odd conversations that no one else could follow. It was so easy with Alice. He wanted to bounce ideas off of her. Ask her what she thought he should do. Get it out of his head. Instead she left him to fend for himself. When would she come back? Edward started to feel hopelessly lost. He thought about calling her when his phone buzzed.

1 Unread Message: Alice

 _Alice: Humans have this marvelous invention called the internet, dumb dumb._

Did she just give him a hint?

He opened up his computer and tried googling the phrases. All that came up were links to kids piano websites and a few odd restaurants. Apparently these were common drills to help teach different chords to children.

Edward shook his head. Maybe he was doing it wrong. Maybe he hadn't figured out what the audio files were actually trying to say. Perhaps he jumped the gun and was following a red herring. But the chords spelled out real words. "Caged bee cafe" and "effaced facade" had to be the message or part of it.

Sighing, Edward turned back to the computer. He clicked on the first link of children's websites. Maybe it has something to do with the practice of piano. A regime for piano theory level 1 pulled up on his browser. He clicked over to chord practices. The link sent him over to a different window with a list of different chords for children to play.

A message from customer service appeared on the bottom left screen. "Hello, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me."

Edward laughed apathetically. "Caged bee cafe?" Send.

Edward pushed his laptop down and leaned back against his couch. This was so different from yesterday. There were actual clues and stories and reports. Lines could be made, conclusions could be drawn. It wasn't a big leap to put two and two together. But this was just. . . nothing. There was nothing. No story. No connections.

Ding.

The customer service bot answered back. "I'm sorry. That is not correct. Please rephrase the question."

Edward rolled his eyes. Another dead end.

Ding.

"Please rephrase the question. I'd love to help you."

Edward stared at the message and the one above it. _That is not correct?_ It was being oddly insistent. He checked the website he was on. It was just a series of numbers and letters with no attachment to the original children's website.

Edward bit his lip. This was a long shot. "What is the Caged Bee Cafe?" Send.

Dots appeared on the message screen. Edward didn't blink.

Ding.

"The song in each of us that is not afraid to sting."

Ding.

A link appeared followed by "I hope I have answered your question. Thank you and have a great day."

Edward would have fallen over if he were human. "No way." Edward almost laughed. He clicked the link provided.

A dark screen loaded. The only thing on the page was a space for a password. Edward tried "caged bee cafe" but it booted him out. A hint appeared above the password box. "Erase your mask."

A funny feeling squirmed inside of Edward. What was this? Hesitantly, Edward typed in "effaced facade."

It accepted the password. A new screen loaded.

"Welcome to Caged Bee Cafe headquarters. Congratulations. You have been accepted. To be invited to the next secret show enter your phone number below. You will receive a text 3 hours before performance with directions. You will have 10 minutes to accept your invitation. One per person. Please read our privacy policy."

There was nothing that explained what the performance entailed or what Caged Bee Cafe really was.

Edward shrugged and put in his phone number. _What the hell._ He read through the privacy policy and still didn't gather much information.

"No photography. No posts on social media. All phones will be collected by security. Do not try to fool security. Celebrity guests will not be announced at time of invitation."

He was only halfway through reading the privacy policy when his phone buzzed. Edward excitedly opened it up expecting to see another message from Bella.

1 Unread Message: Unknown

 _Unknown: Seattle, WA_

 _9845 Factory Rd._

 _Walk towards the underpass. Enter the door on the left hand side under the awning. The music happens on the third floor. Reply ACCEPT within 10 minutes to receive the password._

Edward responded instantly. Coïncidence or not Edward was following this rabbit trail.

He checked his watch. The drive to Seattle would take three hours if one was obeying the speed limit. He could get there in one. Edward was already changing into what he hoped was appropriate clothing. He grabbed his wallet and made sure his "over 21" license was in there, just in case.

Buzz.

1 Unread Message: Unknown

 _Password: Swan_

With keys in hand, Edward jumped over the banister down the three flights of stairs. He wasn't sure what to expect. A small part of him wondered if maybe she would be there too. Regardless he bolted down the highway towards the destination. About an hour later he was staring at an abandedoned building. He checked the directions again. This was the place. He watched as as people went in and out with large black chests.

As the sun went down, a swarm of people descended in the area. Edward grimaced. Vampires typically avoided these kinds of crowds, well the vegitarians did anyway. It was like a buffet, a distracted sweaty mass of food. After a quick prep talk to himself he hopped out and joined the masses.

It was after midnight when Edward came home.

"What have you been up to?" Carlisle looked up from his book as Edward slipped in through the front door. It was like deja vu from earlier today.

"I." Edward started a little incredulous of himself. "I went to this music. . . thing." He played with the wrist band on his right hand.

"A music thing?" Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Edward nodded. "And it was amazing." Edward started gushing. "I got directions to this old abandoned building. This whole thing was all shrouded in secrecy which kind of weirded me out at first. But I understand why they do that. It makes it more personal and intense. This thing only spreads by word of mouth. Everyone there was so connected to the music because they felt like they were in on it. On stage there were these people dressed in robes and you couldn't see their faces and they were playing a mix of instrumental music and electronic and it was brilliant and creative and just fun? Fun? Yeah, it was fun. I was able to find out through reading a few minds that the players were all child prodigies, but then you, know, they grew up, so people stopped paying attention so they took their talents underground. Oh man, oh, every half hour they would bring in a famous artist and they would play together and the crowd would go crazy. I don't really keep up with popular artists but everyone else was shocked at who got to perform. And they would just improvise together. The music was phenomenal. They mixed genres and classics and I think I understand hip hop now? It was great." Edward breathed.

 _-But was she there?-_

"No." Edward sighed. He had been surrounded by thousands of people, but he had never felt more alone. He wanted to share tonight with someone. But she wasn't there to share it with. "I mean, I don't think so. There were thousands of people there. I didn't smell her, but it's possible, not probable, but possible she could have been in a different section and I wouldn't have noticed. I don't know." Edward shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun." Carlisle smiled. "That's not something you get a lot of."

"No. It's not." Edward agreed sadly. "Unless you count hunting as fun."

"No one really does though. Except Emmett."

Edward laughed. "Yeah." Edward opened his mouth again and then closed it.

"What?" Carlisle pried. "Not this again."

"I'm confused. I'm not sure what the story is on this one. She just lead me to this thing and I went and I had a good time, but I don't know the story." Edward sighed and got a good whiff of himself. "Yikes, I smell like two hundred sweaty humans. That's disgusting. I'm going to go take a shower."

Buzz.

1 Unread Message: Bella

"Holy shit." Edward breathed as he stared at the picture Bella just sent.

 _-What is it?-_

Edward handed Carlisle his phone. He took it and eyed the picture in question.

 _-What exactly am I looking at?-_ Carlisle stared at what looked to be a drawing on a paper napkin. There were posts and cross sections and what appeared at first to be blurry candle lights waving in a light breeze. But there were faces in the lights. And then he realized it was people. The drawing contained a multitude of people with their hands in the air.

"That's the view from the stage." Edward said slowly. "That's the point of view from someone on stage tonight. She, Bella, she was there."

Unlike yesterday, Edward desperately wanted to be able to believe this story. Bella: the underground musician.

* * *

 **AN: DOoooooo you want the next chapter?**

 **Theories. Predictions. Questions.**

 **Lay it on me.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**

 **p.s. thank you for the well-wishes. I'm feeling. Much. Much. Better. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth  
**

Chapter Five: Orion

* * *

Bella turned the shower on to the hottest temperature and stepped in. She inhaled the steamy air and closed her eyes as the hot water rolled down her skin, taking with it all the dirt, sweat, and blood. As it flowed into the drain, the grime formed dark blurry lines into the bottom of the shower.

Sleep deprived tears sprung out of her eyes without her permission. Bella sunk down to her knees exhausted. Hot water spilled onto her face and she leaned into it, letting the water wipe away the tears. The migraine that had lodged itself into her head was gone now. But she couldn't rest yet.

With her toe Bella plugged the drain and let the water begin to fill the tub. She leaned back, laying horizontally and said a quiet prayer. The water that was pelting her face a moment before was now running off the sides of her body rising ever higher. Taking a deep breath, Bella let the water submerge her.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxo

After stepping out of the shower, Edward dried off quickly and shook his hair to get the excess water out. It was almost 3am and Edward decided that, to pass the time, he would look up all the guest artist's discography that performed last night. He started with the rappers first.

He kept replaying every single moment of the concert over and over again. Was Bella really there? If she was does that make the story true? Could Bella have led a secret rock star life? Of the stories presented, it was the easiest to digest. He had heard her musical ability. The original composition she had played on his own piano. Yes, he could see it. She had a talent of speaking through the music. It would explain her need to play. It wasn't so hard to imagine Bella as a headstrong child prodigy. Perhaps that was another reason her mother wanted to move away from Forks where there would be little opportunity for her. But now to the music world she had belonged to, she was past her prime. Child prodigies are easily forgotten and rarely remembered. They are only special for their age group, but when they age out, they're just another fish in a bigger pond of other talented fish. He could see Bella growing up and getting bored with the world that was getting bored of her. So she would subvert it: Twist the music world on it's head to bow down to the faceless nameless musical gods of a secret society.

It would be clever. And Bella is very clever.

Edward wouldn't have to stretch far to believe Bella as this underground musician. With how much he enjoyed himself, he wanted and hoped that this was the one story, the one truth to the two lies. But even without the last story, Edward wasn't convinced. It was too easy to believe, which made Edward pause. It would be hard to actually discount this one. Everything was tied up in a pretty bow in this story. But there was something missing and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The first story was hard to believe, but Edward wasn't sure he could throw it out. The second story was easy to believe, but Edward wasn't sure he could trust it. Yes, Bella was giving him exactly what she said she would. Doubt.

Edward only got 4 songs into Coloring Book when his phone buzzed.

1 Unread Message: Bella

Edward checked the time twice just to make sure. This was not the usual pattern Bella had followed before. He had been getting the first text of the day later in the afternoon. It was just now three o'clock in the morning.

 _Bella: There's a shield in the sky that is angled up high,_

 _to protect from a foe that is somewhere below._

 _Follow it's gaze for the final day's maze._

 _Find the shining key where the land meets the sea._

Over a dozen times Edward read over the message, even though he had memorized it the first time around. A riddle. She was giving him a riddle today. Edward stopped himself from replying with something snarky about her rhyme schemes. He thought better of it.

"A shield in the sky." Edward tapped the edge of his phone to his lips. He stared out of his ceiling to floor window. The night sky was unusually clear. Edward could see every star known to man and a few more. Normally, the overcast weather covered them up, but tonight it was as if they were on display. The full moon was the most impressive. It hung over head large and almost peachy in color.

"Could be the atmosphere." Edward reasoned. "Or the magnetic force field." The things protecting earth from wayward solar flares and the occasional rogue space rock acted as a physical shield protecting the earth but they didn't fit with the second verse.

"To protect from a foe that is somewhere below." What foe? What shield could be angled up to protect from something underneath. He looked out the window once more. "The stars." Edward muttered with a smile. It all made sense. This is why she texted him so early. He needed to be able to see the stars.

Making his way outside, Edward briefly wondered how she knew he would be awake to get the message. If Edward was a normal 17 year old, it was likely that he would be in the throes of sleep. Edward sighed, another small mystery that may never be answered.

"Shield in the sky that is angled up high." He surveyed the constellations, searching for the telltale three bright stars that made up Orion's belt. This time of year, Orion was on his back facing up. His sword was above raised above his head and his shield as out in front of him.

Edward was certain this was the shield Bella was speaking of. It's angling up.

"The foe down below." Edward started pacing. Luckily, he had a perfect memory and could remember the lessons learned about greek mythology. Orion was a gifted hunter whose talents of tracking and killing animals were world renowned. Apollo, the god of many things, one of which was the sun, was worried that his sister Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, was spending too much time with Orion and wasn't keeping up with her duties of guiding the moon across the sky. In spite, Apollo told Gaia, the goddess of the earth, that Orion was hunting too many animals and that he wanted to rid the world of them. To retaliate against such horrors, Gaia created a large scorpion to vanquish the mighty hunter. They both died in battle so Zeus took both Orion and Scorpius into the sky and separated them so that they would never be in the sky at the same time.

"So his shield is facing up, but with the rotation. . ." Edward mused. He traced a hand from the shield up and over to the ground. "Scorpius is visible in the southern hemisphere, but not here, it's at an angle below us. The foe down below." Edward nodded. This was it. He knew he was on the right track.

"Follow its gaze to for the final day's maze." Edward repeated. It had to be referring to the shield. So he needed to follow in the direction that it is pointing. Edward almost groaned. This wasn't a riddle. This was a scavenger hunt. With the last line, "you will find the key where the land meets the sea" that could only mean that he had to travel in that direction until he hit the water.

Buzz.

1 Unread Message: Bella

 _Bella: The clock is ticking. You must not wait._

 _In one hours time, the moon closes the gate._

Edward grinned. Speed was never an issue for him. This was the easy part. He loved the excuse to run. Edward took off in the direction of the shield and into the thick forest. The air rushing around him and through his hair. How his legs never tired out but kept propelling him forward faster that sight. He felt like he was flying.

There was only one problem. Edward stopped on a dime in the middle of the woods and cursed. If he kept heading the same direction it would put him right into Quileute territory. The beach Bella was pointing him to was off limits due to the treaty.

There weren't anymore werewolves. The pack that had struck the agreement had died long ago but the treaty didn't specify it's activation only when there was a viable pack. Edward would know. He was the one to moderate between his family and the dogs. They promised never to set foot over the line. They would not go into their territory. They would not go on their land. But he needed to get over there.

Edward pulled out his phone and called Carlisle. "It would only be for a second." Edward pleaded but he knew what the answer would be. The fact that he was trying to find loopholes, sent red flags.

"A second breaking a sacred pact is still breaking the pact." Carlisle commented.

"No one but me and you would know. It's not as if they're around to enforce it." He remembered the wolves as big as trucks with teeth to match. They were an extraordinary creature, one of a kind. Nowhere in Edward's travels had he encountered anything like them. "I'm not doing anything wrong. it's not like I'm going to hurt somebody, I just need to go to the beach for a quick minute."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I know this is important to you, I understand." Carlisle cushioned his final statement on the matter. "But you cannot break the treaty for this."

Edward sighed, put his phone back in his pocket, and sulked by a tree. He was so close. He had bent over backwards the last two days and now he couldn't continue because of a territory issue. Edward kicked a rock over towards the treaty line in protest.

Whatever he needed in order to solve today's story was somewhere on a beach that he couldn't access. He could hear the ocean, that's how close he was to it. Small waves lapping at the rocks edges in low tide. The forest was so quiet.

Edward checked his watch again. 3:45am. Bella wouldn't give him another opportunity. The "gate" would be closing in another 30 minutes. The whole world was asleep except for creatures like him. He stared back up at Orion and followed the line down near the horizon, passed the treaty line. A large crow in the tree above him squawked. Edward glanced up at the bird, who seemed to look back at him before flapping it's wings and taking off into the night.

Carlisle was right of course. But like Bella said, _Parents mean well but sometimes you have to break the rules._

Edward found himself on a beautiful rocky beach. It was low tide and he was surrounded by little tide pools; Small ecosystems of the sea reaching out beyond the border of its edges. He curved around them until he touched wet sand.

 _In one hours time the moon closes the gate._ There was a significance in the moon's role. What was it the moon controlled on the beach? The tide. The key was in a place that would be obstructed as the tide moved up.

Setting his shoes aside Edward went out further onto the beach. Already the water leached further up. Something glinted in the moonlight.

Edward crouched down, examining what appeared to be a locket floating in a tide pool. It's chain was knotted through barnacles that had grown around it, securing it indefinitely. _Find the shining key where the land meets the sea._

Could this be it? Edward pulled the chain free from the barnacles and held the locket in his right hand. By the wear and tear, Edward guessed this locket had been here for a long time, perhaps 5 or more years. He was about to open it when he heard another squawk. He looked up in time to see a large crow swoop down in front of him and grab the locket from his hand.

"Hey!" Edward yelled, startled. Edward jumped up after it, propelling himself in the air, but he just missed the bird by a few inches. "Damn it." Edward cursed as he landed back down, crushing a few rocks with his toes. He ran in the direction the crow was flying. It would have to come down at some point. Edward climbed up high into the trees so he could keep an eye on the crow. He jumped between trees as fast as his powers allowed him, still keeping pace with the bird in flight. After a few minutes and about two miles traveled, the bird dropped the locket. Edward saw it fall as if in slow motion. He caught it before it touched the ground.

"Stupid bird." Edward muttered as he eyed his surroundings.

He was standing in a graveyard. Moss clung to the old headstones. Ornate markers were leaning, half uprooted from the ground. The grass was overgrown and the small iron fence was pushed over and in ruins. No one was taking care of this graveyard. It looked like a family plot on someone's private property. Edward knew this area, he had seen this graveyard before in his wanderings, which meant he was back behind treaty lines.

Edward turned towards the locket and tried to click it open. The hinges were swollen and crusted with sea salt, so Edward had to force it apart carefully. A small scroll popped out. Edward caught it in his other hand easily.

The first window of the locket was a woman in her early 20's with straight full mahogany colored hair. The eyes were light colored, probably blue, but it was hard to tell because the picture was in black and white. She wore a white satin blouse and held a book in her grasp. By the distress and composition in the image, Edward dated it around 1930.

In the second window was a young girl with deep chocolate eyes that stared daringly straight into the lens. A small smirk stretched her petite face. The girl in the second photo was undoubtedly a young Bella. Even in this old tiny picture of a prepubescent Bella, Edward felt like she was staring right into him and seeing past all his pretenses. Small freckles lined her cheeks and nose. Delicately, Edward brushed his finger over her picture and smiled.

This locket probably belonged to Bella. Perhaps while she was visiting her father in her youth, he took her to the tide pools and she dropped it.

Edward closed the locket and turned his attention to the scroll that was inside. He unfurled the paper. Mold grew on it that had gotten damp after it's time in the sea, despite being encased in the locket for a few years. However, the message on it was legible enough, but a few lines were completely unreadable.

Dear hunter in the sky,

We're not so different, you and I.

To all we've loved, we've said goodbye.

We once were mortal but now we'll never die.

A second life given from the god's above,

But I was handed the devil's glove.

Passed down [unintelligible]

[unintelligible] beastly.

If of course you don't believe

[unintelligible]

Once the pages you've all read

You'll know that my veins don't bleed red.

Edward held his breath. This was written in Bella's handwriting. He's seen her notes in class enough to know this was her hand.

The hunter in the sky referred once more to the constellation Orion. However, Edward felt like this could have been written to him personally and the message would have been the same. He was immortal, but he wasn't always. No. Edward had to say goodbye to his human life, to his family and loved ones. Never to see them again. It was the hardest price to pay for everyone who transformed into a vampire.

This piece of poetry was extremely vague, with or without the missing lines. It could just easily be the ramblings of a girl trying her hand at rhyme schemes. However, if it were taken literally. . . Bella was confessing to being more than human. "We once were mortal" meant that she currently couldn't be described as such.

Edward balanced the locket on a nearby headstone. Funny that he should be here of all places. The final end for all humans. It seemed pertinent that he was here now, thinking of immortality.

Orion was placed in the sky by the gods, as lore tells. But Bella is saying that her immortality comes from some darkness, passed down somehow.

It's true that other nightmares existed in the world. Vampires for starters, but Bella was definitely not that. Edward had heard of the existence of werewolves on the other side of the world. But they were bitten, just as he had been.

However, the wolves of La Push's ancestry. That was different. They were creatures, born human, but through some ancestral power could transform at will. It wasn't so unheard of for this type of magic. Insane and unlikely, but not impossible if it it had happened before.

Edward shook his head trying to think logically and steadily but his brain was going so fast with thoughts he couldn't keep up with himself.

Could this be true? Could Bella not be human?

Quickly Edward turned towards the woman on the first pane of the locket. Her hair was similar to Bella's, they had the same oval shaped face. This could be her grandmother. Was her grandmother the same creature Bella was postulating?

Edward read through the poem again. What was real and what was metaphorical? Did she mean her blood really wasn't red or was it just a turn of phrase?

Edward knew her blood more than most. He knew that she had real delicious blood. True he hadn't seen the color, but he was certain it wasn't different that anybody else's. Except. . . that it was. Edward had never smelled blood like hers before. The difference between Bella's blood and the rest of humanity as he knew it couldn't compare, but she didn't have the same effect on his family.

What are these pages she mentioned? Was there a book somewhere? It was almost pointless to guess at the lines that he couldn't read.

This story perplexed him. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be true or not. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He wanted Monday to come quicker than ever. He wanted to see Bella again and examine her under the glasses of this new information. It didn't seem likely that with as much time sitting by her side he wouldn't have noticed. But another thought struck him, If Bella wasn't human, how much did she know of him? But what was she if she wasn't human? This story only opened up more questions. He would have to wait until tomorrow, until he could see her again, to judge on what was fact or fiction.

The thief, the rock star, and the inhuman.

One of them was true. And Edward had another 24 hours to wrestle with the possibilities.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Bella felt the vibrations of her phone. She lurched herself out of the water with a deep exasperated gasp. Water trickled down her face. With one hand she scooped the wet hair out of her eyes and with the other she reached for the towel that laid on the floor beside her phone.

1 Unread Message: Edward

Bella grinned widely. Just the person she wanted to talk to. She was glad his radio silence was over. This evening she had killed two birds with one stone so to speak. She could relax, now that she accomplished her goals.

 _Edward: I've figured you out Ms. Swan._

 _Bella: Oh really?_

 _Edward: I'm pretty clever when I put my mind to it._

 _Bella: That remains to be seen._

 _Edward: I do have a few questions._

 _Bella: Only a few?_

 _Edward: If you'll let me ask any at all._

 _Bella: I can't make any promises._

 _Edward: Just promise me this: Be safe coming back._

Bella nearly giggled. She had him hook, line, and sinker. But what would she do with him?

 _Bella: All I can do is try. I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow._

* * *

 ** _AN: As always, thank you for reading and reviewing!  
_**

 ** _I hope you liked this one. I spent way too much time on rhyming dictionary for this chapter. Whew.  
_**

 ** _Thoughts. Predictions. Questions. etc._**

 ** _Lay it on me._**

 ** _xoxo_**

 ** _Rosalie_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter 6: Alarm Bells

* * *

"Hey, dad." Bella greeted warmly as she closed in on the cruiser. The sounds of an airplane taking off nearby could be heard over the bell tones from the overhead speakers inside the airport. Charlie stood quietly by the trunk. When she came into sight, his stoic wall melted and he smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners and he suddenly looked much younger.

Bella often wondered why her mother would get caught up with her father. In these moments, when Charlie cast off his brooding manner, when the sun hit his gleaming smile, Bella could understand. In his younger days, Charlie was probably quite the catch. The reason he was still single had to be by choice. Or location. There really weren't a lot of fish in the sea, if that sea is Forks. Bella knew the real answer though. The sad answer. Charlie was still in love with Renee. He didn't have a chance. None of the men Renne sought out did.

"How was the flight?" Charlie motioned to take Bella's backpack. She handed it over reluctantly.

"No complaints, except the guy ahead of me kept leaning back. At least I have short legs."

"Good good." Charlie nodded as he got into the vehicle. "And how is Renee?'

"Oh she's great." Bella tried to hide an eye roll within a massive yawn. "She always is. She says 'hello' and hopes you're well and all that jazz." Bella slumped into the passenger's seat.

"Tired?"

"I haven't slept well." Bella yawned again. "I think I got used to the rain on my window here. And you know mom, we were out all night. I'm absolutely exhausted. I tried to sleep on the plane but bozo in front of me kept knocking into my knees."

"Well, you can try to take a nap now if you want." Charlie put the car in drive. Bella was already asleep before they got on the highway.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Jasper rolled onto his side and reached a finger out to delicately trace a line down the middle of Alice's back. She squirmed away in response.

"Oooh, that tickles." She laughed tightly and shimmied out from under his touch. But Jasper just grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to him. She let herself be dragged across the bed and soon she was swept up into Jasper's arms. A sigh escaped her mouth as she collapsed into his chest.

He pressed his lips into to the top of Alice's dark hair.

"I know, I know. You love me too." She grinned contentedly, but worry was hidden underneath and Jasper knew it. She angled her face up to kiss his neck softly. They were still for moment, but Jasper's question had been on the tip of his tongue and he couldn't hold the balance anymore.

"Why do we have to stay away from Edward-from our family, still?" Jasper had always been surrounded by large numbers. He felt safer in a group. Truly, he loved every moment of being alone with Alice. He would go to the four corners of the earth for her and live on insects if he had to. There's nothing Jasper wouldn't do for her, but they belonged with their family. They belonged home.

"Do you remember when I found you?" Alice snuggled closer into him.

"Of course. It was the best day in my life." Jasper remembered how it unfolded. How he was alone in the woods when he suddenly smelled a new vampire approaching the area. He was getting ready to attack when the love emanating off this vampire completely knocked him over. He had never sensed such powerful emotion. And it was for him. Then she came into view, dainty, confident, gorgeous, and he was changed forever. She saved him.

"I could have found you sooner." Alice mused. "I knew where you were."

"But I wasn't ready." Jasper nodded. He knew the story well.

"You wouldn't have let me in if I had come earlier." Alice said plainly.

"And Edward needs to find Bella?"

Alice shook her head. "No. It's the other way around. Bella needs to find Edward. But he has to let himself be found. He has to make that decision."

Alice saw a vision of Jasper asking "And that's why we have to stay away? So we won't cause an interference."

She answered the question that hadn't even formed yet. "That's why I have to stay away. You can go back if you want to. You're an innocent bystander."

"And leave you all alone on this bed? I don't think so." Jasper growled playfully.

Alice laughed carefree as Jasper flipped her onto her back and straddled her, but she was worried and Jasper could sense that. Something could go wrong and there was nothing they could do but wait.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Jesus, Edward. If you were anymore hyped up, I think you would vibrate out of existence. Chill, dude." Emmett cackled as he made his way to grab his backpack. He moved slowly on purpose just to see the agitation growing in Edward's face.

"Just pick up the freaking backpack, let's go." Edward said with one hand tangled in his hair. The frustration was at max level.

"Maybe I should drive today." Emmett suggested, halting just a foot before getting to his back pack. "They say you shouldn't drive when you are too emotional. I'll make sure we get there safely, only driving 5 below the speed limit. Stopping at all cross sections. I hear the tulips are blooming, maybe we can take a scenic route."

"I swear to God." Edward looked up at the ceiling absolutely exasperated. Then in a blink of an eye he ran over to Emmett, pulled his ankle out from under him, grabbed Emmett's back pack and ran to the car.

"Hey!" Emmett yelled while scrambling to get to his feet. "Do you really wanna go?" He puffed out his chest and flexed his arms.

"Boys!" Esme poked her head out from the garden. "No fighting. Settle yourselves, you're adults."

Emmett tried to point fingers. "But Edward-"

"I don't want to hear it. Stop antagonizing him. And Edward. . ."

"Sorry, Esme." Edward shrugged innocently. "His ankle just happened to be in the way."

"Edward." _-Don't make me give you a hard time. Just go see Bella already. I think I'm just as excited as you are.-_

When the Volvo parked at school, they were the first ones in the lot. The clouds gathered menacingly overhead. A stark difference from the clear skies yesterday morning. A coastal storm was brewing.

Rosalie dragged Emmett out of the car. "Come on, we can go make out in the woods." She whispered. Emmett was planning on pestering Edward until class started but this was an offer he couldn't refuse. For once, Edward was glad of Emmett's and Rosalie's oversexualized attraction to one another. That meant they would leave him alone. Edward didn't have Jasper and Alice as a buffer.

Cars started trickling into the parking lot. A few students stared at Edward as they made their way inside. He kept changing his position, wondering what would look better when she saw him there. He finally decided to lean against the trunk with his hands in his pockets.

 _-Looks like gorgeous is waiting for someone.-_

 _-He's so hot. . . but I would never. . .-_

 _-Freak.-_

Rain started pouring down. Students started to clamour inside, running from the rain, but still Edward waited by the car. Water drops collected onto his hair, pulling the strands down over his face, and then dripped onto his cheek. He didn't care. He was waiting to hear the engine of a certain red ford truck.

But soon the parking lot was nearly full and all the students were inside. When the bell to announce the first class period rang, Edward blinked. She wasn't here.

 _-Come on, Edward.-_ Rosalie thought towards him from the doorway of the class they were supposed to have together. Her thoughts were abnormally neutral. _-Come inside. You'll worry the teachers.-_

Edward didn't breath as he stalked into school. He dripped water all over his chair during first period but made no move to even pretend to be bothered by it.

She was supposed to be here. She was supposed to come.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Bella blinked her eyes open and the crusts that had formed tore apart. Wind whistled outside and heavy rain beat down on her window. It was hard to judge the time due to the dark clouds swirling above, filtering the intensity of the day. Was it still Sunday?

Bella rolled over and groaned. All her muscles ached. With a good bit of effort she lifted her head to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table but it wasn't there.

"Hmm?" She sat up with her feet splayed out behind her and her hands out in front. Books were scattered on the floor, their pages half torn from their binding. Small trinkets laid strewn all over the room. Her dresser drawers were pulled opened at different angles and their contents spilled over. It looked like someone had ransacked her room, or a very small tornado had torn through while she was asleep. Bella found her alarm clock broken in three pieces beside the window.

She looked once more out towards the sky.

"Shit." Bella hissed and bolted out of bed. "Shit. Shit. Shit." She grabbed her phone which was buried under a pile of books but was otherwise unharmed. 11:03 Monday morning. "Shit." Bella screeched while throwing on black jeans, a grey band shirt and a black leather jacket that she just picked up from the floor. She stumbled to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, while combing her hair. Then splashing water onto her face, she stared at her reflection. "As good as it's gonna get." She mumbled while taking the stairs down two at a time.

When Bella finally pulled up into school, lunch was just starting. She took a deep breath and adjusted her jacket before rounding the corner. She opened the courtyard glass door and 50 pairs of eyes turned to stare at the late comer.

Mike stood up and waved at her. "Bella! Where've you been?"

Bella huffed and a strand of hair puffed up on the draft. With her left foot out, Bella sauntered over to an empty table by the edge of the room, ignoring the students waving for her to come join them. She was very aware of all the eyes on her, but only two mattered.

She sat down and swung her feet up on the table. Her posture spelled out that this table was hers and hers alone. Casually, Bella pulled out a book and began reading.

Mike looked forlornly towards the table Bella sat reading in. Jessica shook her head judgmentally over her bag of chips. "What's her deal?"

Angela stared at Bella in small bites, too nervous to look for long. "I don't know. But, she's got style. Wait. Is that?"

Bella had finished two chapters before she lowered her book an inch to view the bronze haired boy sitting opposite her.

"Edward." She greeted coolly before flicking her eyes back to her book. A small smirk grew over her freckled cheeks involuntarily. He had moved to the table a few minutes ago. He waited patiently for her to notice, with his arms crossed out in front of him and leaning against the table top.

"Bella." Edward copied her indifferent tone. He had been taking this opportunity to study the girl in front of him. Her scent still carried the same desire it had since the first day he met her. For some reason, he thought that might have changed. There was a difference though, but he couldn't quite place it. His first and foremost concern was that she was okay. After she didn't show up this morning, he imagined the worst. "I thought you wouldn't make it. I almost started a manhunt."

"Blame my alarm clock." Bella said as she flipped a page. "It committed suicide this morning."

"Why would it do something like that?"

"Oh, I think it was coerced. My bet is on the bedside lamp."

He leaned back and turned his head to the side. "I don't understand you." Edward finally admitted after a pause.

"I thought you had me figured out?" Bella's eyes narrowed daringly.

"Oh, I do on that front, but that doesn't mean I understand you."

"You're not alone. The support group meets on tuesdays at 8." Bella rolled her eyes. It wouldn't be the first or last time someone said that.

"I imagine it's a large group." Edward smiled, but he wasn't sure why. Having a witty conversation without knowing the next move was exhilarating.

"No." Bella sighed and shut her book closed. "Attendance has been lacking. People usually give up." She faced Edward square on. "Why didn't you send a manhunt? For all you know I could have been bleeding out in a ditch somewhere."

Edward winced. "I knew you were coming."

"And how could you be so sure?"

Edward raised his eyebrows and looked at his hands. "Because you told me you would."

Bella shook her head and tutted. "You really should take what I say with a grain of salt. You can't believe everything."

Edward flattened his lips out. It was a lie. Edward didn't believe Bella would be here today just on her word. But on Alice's.

He was about to go look for her after second period. He was already in the car with the key in the ignition when Alice called him.

"Hey Edward!" Alice's chiming voice was like a breath of fresh air.

"Alice." Edward breathed. "It's good to hear from you," Then he paused. "I hope it's good. Is it good to hear from you?" _Oh, god. Bella's dead. Or broken. Or runaway. Or doesn't want to see me._

"If you go to her house all frantic, she's gonna wake up and be really pissed at you. And you're gonna be embarrassed and ashamed and it's an all around bad idea."

"Wake up?"

"Yeah, dumb dumb. Bella's just asleep." The tension in Edward's gut started to melt away. "But, I'm serious." Alice continued. "Don't wake her up."

"Why?"

"Just don't, okay? But she'll get up soon and she'll be at school."

"Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome. It's what sisters are for."

"I don't know if that's entirely accurate. But we're not normal siblings."

Alice laughed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Come home soon please. Tell Jasper I said hello and that we miss him too."

"I will."

When Edward put his phone away, he stared at the keys in the engine. In the next second, he put the car in reverse and sped out of the parking lot. It only took him a minute to be idling in front of Charlie Swan's house. Reluctantly, Edward stayed inside the vehicle. Though, from even here, he could hear someone snoring on the second floor close to the left window. He laughed, feeling so much more at ease, and drove to school again.

"You're right." Edward said at the lunch table, keeping his eyes on Bella. "You're not exactly trustworthy."

"On the contrary." Bella shrugged. "I'm very dependable and my word is impeachable. But you shouldn't believe everything I say."

"Those ideas aren't exclusive. You can't have one and not the other."

"Like most things, you're the exception. I didn't say 'people' shouldn't believe everything I say. I said 'you.'" Bella smiled slyly.

Edward leaned forward, the line in his forehead growing deeper. "We're getting off track."

"Right." Bella cleared her throat and sat up, swinging her legs down under the table. Edward took a breath. "Before you ask your questions, I wanted to offer you a deal." Bella interrupted before he could get his words out.

"What sort of deal?" Edward narrowed his eyes. He thought they were done with games.

"I'll only offer you this once. So think carefully before you say yes or no."

This was throwing a wrench in Edward's plan, but he was too curious to object just yet.

"Think of this as a peace offering." Bella carefully controlled her expressions to which Edward found infuriating. "You've done a lot of work this weekend. I know you have. So here is my deal. I'll tell you which story is true. No games. No gimmicks. Just the truth."

"But." Edward provided wryly. There was always a 'but.'

"If." Bella corrected with a small smile. "I'll tell you who I am _if_ you tell me who you are. A fair trade, don't you think?"

A pin could drop and disturb the silence that befell in that moment. Edward forgot to breath. When he did, he ruffled his hair, finally breaking eye contact.

"There's nothing to tell." He said darkly.

"Like I said." Bella spoke, undeterred. "You should think about it."

"There's no need." Edward insisted. "I have nothing to offer for your secret. No. Where are you going?" Edward blinked. Bella was moving out of her seat.

"I'm going to grab something to eat. Are you hungry?" She looked pointedly at the empty table in front of Edward.

"Not really. I'll manage." But Edward was getting hungry, or thirsty to be more accurate. He had neglected to hunt. He usually was better prepared when it came to Bella, but he had been distracted. His eyes weren't completely black yet, but he would have to hunt soon.

"Suit yourself." Bella stood up and stretched her arm overhead before walking to the lunch counter. She wasn't surprised that he answered negatively to her proposal, but it still stung a little. She wanted him to trust her. Now they both caused distrust in the other. He followed her up to the lunch counter.

"I thought you weren't hungry."

"I'm not. But I do have some questions."

"Shoot." Bella shrugged as she moved through the line. "But be careful what you ask. We have eavesdroppers." She motioned to the students on either side of them that were obviously wrestling with not wanting to get close but still wanting to hear what they were talking about. Bella glared at the group behind them and a small freshman jerked to look down at his feet.

"How long have you played the piano?" Edward asked what he thought was a harmless question.

"Next."

"But that's the easiest one." Edward protested.

"Fine." Bella rolled her eyes. "I've been playing. . . awhile."

Edward groaned inwardly, but it wouldn't do to show his frustration to Bella. "See, now that wasn't so bad was it? I didn't mention this when you barged in the other week, but you play well. I was impressed."

"Should I be flattered, given a compliment from the great Edward Cullen?"

"I play too, you know." Edward deflected her sarcasm off to the side.

"Of course you do." Bella sighed while putting an apple onto her plate. "But I already knew that."

"You did?"

"Yep." Bella grinned. "It's all in the hands."

Before he knew what she was doing, Bella grabbed his left hand in both of hers. He froze. People just didn't reach out and touch creatures like him. He could have moved out of the way from her, he had plenty of time, but he didn't expect her to do it. Then it was too late to dodge her reach without proving again that he moved too fast for someone normal.

 _Don't move._ He was suddenly seized with fear, not wanting to hurt her if he pulled back, but not sure if he could trust himself. If he made a mistake in his control, he could break both of her hands without any effort.

Her right hand was holding the back of his. It was all he could do to hold still and let her examine it. She slipped a finger between his index and middle finger, looping up and down the peaks and valleys. The warmth she pressed gently against his skin did things he wasn't used to.

"The spread of your fingers, and the muscles here. . ." Bella trailed a finger from the bottom of his palm to the top of his pinky finger and then over and down the back of his pinky. "And then there's your wrists, of course."

"Of course." Edward tried to sound casual, but he was mentally sweating.

"You have pianist hands." She let go reluctantly, when the lunch lady made a coughing sound meant to break them up.

Edward quickly put the hand back in his pocket, stretching it before balling it up.

Bella didn't seem to have any reaction to his cold temperature. "This is all." She turned to face the lady at the cash register.

"One apple." The lunch lady sounded bored. "That'll be a dollar twenty."

Bella rolled her eyes when Edward beat her to the transaction.

"My knight in shining armour." Bella spoke dramatically on their way back to the table. "How ever was I to pay for a single apple all on my lonesome."

"It's a kindness." Edward replied unamused. "Sometimes people do things to be kind. And _usually_ it's received with thanks."

"Are you asking for gratitude?" She scoffed. "What a gentleman."

"No, I. . . just." Edward shook his head. "I only meant. . .I."

"I'm joking, Edward." Bella laughed. "And even though it was a small gesture, thank you." She said it with sincerity. "That was very sweet and cute."

"You're welcome." Edward pulled on a lopsided grin, feeling, for a fleeting moment, as if he won a small victory. Though, he wasn't sure how he felt about being "cute" but there are worse things.

"Now." Bella took a bite of the apple and swung her legs back up on the table. "Tell me. Who do you think I am?"

"J'ai plus de questions avant de faire mon cas." _I have more questions before I make my case,_ Edward said with a flawless french accent.

"Très bien." Bella responded without hesitation. _Very well._

He grinned. "That answers one question."

"Parlo anche italiano se questa è la tua prossima domanda." _I speak italian too if that was your next question._

"Fu in realtà. Grazie." _It was actually. Thank you._

"I see." Bella chewed on another piece of apple, trying to compartmentalize her feelings. Edward could keep up with her. "I'm impressed."

"Should I be flattered, given a compliment by the great Isabella Swan?" Edward threw her words back at her.

"Are you?" Bella raised her eyebrows.

"Am I what?"

"Flattered." Bella tried to hide a smile into another bite of the apple.

Edward thought for a moment. To be honest, he still wasn't over the fact that she had touched him earlier and wasn't repelled. "Perhaps."

"Mmm. Perhaps." Bella mocked him.

Edward tried to get back on course. "Who's the woman in the locket?" The locket he found in a tide pool. The first window held an old picture of a young woman taken in the early 20th century.

Bella sobered up. "A relative."

"A close relative?" Edward needed to get as specific as possible without revealing too much in his question.

"Depends on your definition of close."

They were both hiding something. Trying to dig deeper wouldn't get him further. He noted the response, but ultimately decided to change tracks.

"How many boyfriends have you had?"

"What?" Bella nearly choked. "Um, that has. . . no relevance. What?"

"It's a simple question." Edward stated neutrally.

"Fine. I haven't had any. May I ask why?"

"I just wanted to know." Edward shrugged. While, he did want to know, what he really wanted was to gauge her social life growing up.

"Right, right." Bella rolled her eyes. "How many boyfriends have you had?"

Edward shrugged. "The same number."

"Aw, well. There's someone out there for you." She teased.

Now it was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. "So no one ever asked you to prom?"

Bella licked her lips, knowing where that question came from. "I invited myself."

"You invite yourself over to a lot of things."

"Like I said." Bella shrugged nonchalantly. "I have a bad habit of-

"Being where you don't belong." Edward finished. "Yes. I remember." He tried once more to peer inside her mind. After a moment he gave up. "Would you like to hear my theory?" He asked quietly.

"Of course." Bella sat up again, respectfully. "I'm all ears."

Edward leaned forward suddenly intense. "It was simple really. Once you rule out the impossible, whatever left, however, improbable has to be the truth." He stole the line from Sherlock Holmes, but it was true regardless whether or not a fictional character said it. He stared up at Bella through thick eyelashes. "I think you're the Lipstick Thief."

The bell rang over the intercom and the chimes seemed louder than before. Bella grinned broadly in her seat as the students around her scrambled to get to their next class. But Bella and Edward stared at each other, calmly.

"Time for class." Bella finally breathed and she got to her feet.

"What?" Edward had a fake smile plastered on his face. Inside he was full of dread. "Aren't you going to say if I'm right or not?"

"I didn't say I would give you answers. I told you I was going to give you doubt."

"But _was_ I right?"

She laughed at his feeble attempt. "You turned down the only opportunity for an answer. Are you coming to class or not?"

Edward walked side by side with Bella through the halls, careful to keep a few inches between them. He had thought that after today, he would be done. Slowly, he started to realize, Edward would never be done with Bella. That realization brought with it two completely different sets of emotions.

Bella was just getting started.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys are seriously the best!**

 **I love reading your theories, no matter how unconvinced you are of them. Truth be told, I've actually used a few to guide where this is going. So, yes, you're reviews matter. Also, I like being told I'm doing a good job. It helps me write. :)**

 **I'm so glad I get to have Bella and Edward talk again instead of text each other. It's honestly a writers relief to get here again.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter with a fraction of how much I enjoyed writing it.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**

 **-ps. I just used google translate so I'm sorry if the translations were bad for French and Italian. SORRY.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

 **AN: I jump back and forth in this chapter. Just a heads up. There's only two threads so it shouldn't be too hard to keep track and they connect at the end. Keep your wits about ye.  
**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter 7: Shoe Lace

* * *

 **Later**

"Oh, damn." Bella said without any emotion as her truck's engine plunked out. Her normal thundering engine was reduced to a high pitched spinning sound as it sputtered out of commission. She pulled off to the side of the winding road leading into La Push. A small puff of smoke bellowed up as she opened the hood, but it disseminated in the pouring rain. To block the rain and wind, Bella tightened her rain jacket across her torso. A brown shoe lace was tied around her wrist. Patiently, she stared into her truck's internal organs as if trying to figure out how to solve the issue.

When a familiar white sedan drove around the corner, only a minute had passed and Bella waved in relief.

"Hey!" She called while the car slowed down and pulled in behind the truck.

A gangly teenager stepped out with long hair as black as a raven's. "I know that truck," He spoke with enthusiasm. "What did you do to it?"

"What?" Bella blinked.

"Oh, you probably don't remember me." The boy smiled and then blushed behind his olive dark skin. "You're Isabella Swan, right?"

"Bella." She corrected reflexively. "Oh my god. No, yeah I remember. You're Billy's son." She nodded, putting the pieces together. "Jacob, right?"

"Yeah. You used to play with my sisters." He looked up at the rain and then back at the truck. "You're dad bought that truck off of mine. I never thought I would see this old thing break down though. It wasn't much but it was sturdy. Mind if I take a look?"

"Really? Sure. You're a lifesaver." Bella stepped aside eagerly. "I don't have any clue what I'm looking at."

"I can be pretty handy." Jacob shrugged nonchalantly while leaning over the hood of the truck. He was hoping to come off as impressive. "You're really lucky I was driving by. I know this truck inside and out. What are the chances, right?"

"Yeah." Bella breathed. "What are the chances." She pulled the hood of her rain jacket over her face.

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 **Earlier**

When Bella and Edward walked into biology together, the hum of other students died down as they stared. No one had ever seen any of the Cullen's or Hale's so much as look at someone else, let alone sit with another person. The odd beautiful family kept to themselves, but something changed. Edward was breaking out of the mold. Mike sulked in the back corner desk as Bella and Edward grabbed last week's graded homework.

"Good job, Bella. And Edward. As always." The teacher said with just a hint of disdain in his voice.

Bella noticed that when they sat down, Edward still sat as far away as possible like before, but today he angled towards her.

"I checked the manifest." Edward said quietly when the teacher turned his back to write something on board.

Bella inclined her head towards him, but kept her eyes towards the front of the class.

"The flight manifest." Edward continued once he was sure she was listening. "You weren't on the plane." Her smile confirmed him.

"Look at you, super sleuth. But that doesn't make me a criminal." Bella began doodling on her notebook.

"No. But that means you stayed in Seattle."

"Not necessarily." Bella shrugged.

"Sure, you could have gotten a car and drove to another city, but you didn't."

Bella arched her eyebrows. "And how are you so sure about that?"

The teacher cleared his throat. "Is there something the two of you would like to share with the class?"

"We were just discussing the possibility of enzyme 52 in cancer research." Edward provided cover for the both of them.

"Of course you are." Mr. Mason rolled his eyes. "Hmm. Well, that's not what we're talking about today, so at least stick to the subject." And then the teacher continued his rambling on the Kreb's cycle. He turned back around and started reading off the slide.

"Because," Edward continued once the coast was clear. "The Lipstick Thief struck again on Saturday night. Four Seasons hotel, downtown Seattle."

"Is that so?" Bella feigned surprise. "What a coincidence. But if I was in Seattle, then surely I was just as capable of playing at a non existent concert with a band that isn't real at a location that was just made up. Or," Bella nodded her head. "If I was something _other_ it wouldn't matter where I was at all. The robbery occurring in Seattle doesn't prove anything."

"Yes, but-" Edward straightened up as the teacher walked down the aisles. He waited until Mr. Mason was out of earshot again. "But the third story is impossible on it's own merit. Immortal beings don't exist. They're just myth and legend. To include that at all is just a red herring." Edward of course knew he was contradicting his own existence, but a normal person would discredit that story out right. To give it any weight, would only indicate himself. There were two games Edward had to play.

Bella bit her lip and nodded. "And the second story is impossible because. . ?"

"Because you weren't there on that stage. And the basis of the second story entirely relied on you being on stage. So if that-" Mr. Mason was coming back up the aisle. Edward switched his sentence to match the lecture. "So if that stored energy is released then the TCA gets distributed onto the next stage. . ."

Bella suppressed a giggle. "Nice." She muttered under her breath.

The teacher was paying too much attention right now and they had to put their conversation on hold.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Later**

"Have you been out here long?" Jacob asked while checking out some gauges. "The weather is about to get pretty gnarly. Even for here."

She shook her head and leaned closer to watch what he was doing. "I literally just pulled over. I was just about to call Cha-my dad when I saw you coming."

"How is Charlie? I used to see him a lot," Jacob wavered, "but not so much recently." Then he got caught up playing mechanic for a moment. "You know, I'm not. . . hold on." Jacob reached in and pulled out a part to examine it.

"Charlie's good." Bella answered his question as he messed with the part in his hand. "Still fishing and glued to basketball."

"Yeah, that's Charlie, alright. How do you like it here so far?" Jacob said through clenched teeth as he connected the part back into place.

While Jacob was distracted Bella brushed his left side. "Sorry." She muttered, and put her hand back in her pocket, gripping something that wasn't there before. "Oh, it's a change, that's for sure. I haven't decided if I like it or not though."

"Really? Oh." Jacob frowned. "So what are you doing out here, anyway?" He wiped his nose and streaked black oil across his face that the rain wouldn't wash away.

Bella laughed. "I left something on one of the beaches out here. I was trying to get it before the storm got worse."

"Really? Which one?"

"Oh, this little place between trail 4 and 6."

"The one with the tide pools and the rock that looks like Mick Jagger?"

"Yeah, you know it?" Bella's eyes lit up.

"Of course. But that's really off path. What were you doing out there?"

Bella blushed. "I was there with a . . . friend." She shrugged, dismissing the question.

"Riiiight." Jacob knew what _friend_ meant. "What did you leave behind?"

Bella grinned. "He left his shoes."

xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Earlier**

Edward remained on task as soon as they were safe again and the teacher wasn't listening. "So if you weren't performing with the Caged Bee Cafe then the whole story falls apart."

Bella leaned forward, loving the way Edward expressed his thoughts. "I could debate you on that but why do you believe I wasn't performing?"

It wasn't a matter of belief. Edward knew. He knew she wasn't on stage, even though he wanted her to be. He hoped it could be true. It simply wasn't.

The bell rang before Edward could decide how to answer. He got up and put his books away. Normally, he would already be out of the room but he waited for Bella to collect her belongings. "Well?" Bella turned to Edward. She liked that he stayed behind .

A throat cleared behind her. "See you at gym." Mike said a little territorially as he passed by. His eyes were on Edward as he spoke though, as if sizing Edward up, but he chickened out and looked away. Mike thought he had a chance with Bella, that is until he saw Edward flex his muscles in the playing field.

"Yeah." Bella replied, and then grimaced. "Ugh. Gym." She turned back to Edward and bit her lip. "We'll continue this later?"

Edward nodded solemnly.

"Cool." Bella hesitated for a moment, then shuffled out without looking back.

 _Saved by the bell._ Edward felt stunned at the good timing. He couldn't explain the reason to Bella without contradicting himself. Edward knew the rock star story was false for the very reason he denied the third inhuman story. While Edward condemned the existence of humanoids with special abilities, it was his own special ability that proved the Caged Bee Cafe story false. He could read the minds of every masked figure that played on the stage. Obviously, Bella wasn't one of them.

This doesn't explain how she could draw from their point of view, but the fact remained that she wasn't in the band. And there was no way Edward could explain his mind reading abilities without revealing more than he was allowed to.

xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Later**

Bella hopped out of the white Sedan with her rain jacket pulled up tight to protect against the fat drops from above and the whistling wind. A crow cried somewhere in the distance. Jacob joined her at the entrance of a small trail.

"You don't have to do this." She turned towards him. "It's gonna be a nasty hike."

"I don't mind. I've got nothing better to do." Jacob pulled his hair into a ponytail. "Besides, I can't let you go alone." _Must be some important shoes._ "Are you sure you can't just leave them? The ocean might have swallowed them up by now."

She grimaced. Perhaps she had played her part too well. She could go faster on her own.

"If you're going to come, fine, but, keep up." Bella challenged him as she marched onwards.

"Keep up? Please." Jacob scoffed and pounded his chest like Tarzan. "I'm a Quileute native. These are my woods."

xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Earlier**

Another school day down in the books. Bella finished putting her shoes back on after a particularly ugly tennis match during gym and headed out the gymnasium doors. She stopped suddenly and turned to her left. Edward was waiting in the wings, leaning casually against the side of the building.

"God, Edward. You've turned into quite the stalker."

"You're slow." Edward grinned, peeling himself off the wall. "There's a difference between waiting and stalking."

"It's a very thin line." Bella kept walking towards the parking lot. Edward easily matched her pace. It didn't require as much effort for him to be with her out in the open air where her scent wasn't trapped in a room. He could never forget himself and his situation, but if he squinted, he could almost feel normal.

"Can I ask you something?" Bella stopped suddenly again on the sidewalk.

"I don't think I'll be able to stop you." Edward eyed her carefully, suspicious of her motives.

"True." She smirked. "Someone's learning."

Bella looked up at the dark sky and she hesitated before she finally got out, "Why did you ignore me for nearly a month?" For a second, Edward saw the vulnerability in her face before she pulled up her walls again.

Edward didn't know what to say. His jaw clenched, confused by the emotions running through him. He ignored her to protect her. Protect her from the many ways that he could ruin her. What did that mean now that he had abandoned his vow?

When he didn't answer Bella sighed. "I guess what I'm really asking is, when you get bored trying to figure out who I am, will we go back to that nothing?"

"I don't know." Edward answered honestly. He hadn't anticipated the question. He tried to imagine ever growing bored with Bella but he couldn't. Alice was right: he couldn't stay away from her anymore. "I don't think I'll ever get to that point. As it stands, I'm completely under your spell." Edward turned away as she blushed but continued. "If you grow bored of me, however, I understand. I'm really not good company to keep. I'm sorry if I've been bothering you. I just realized now that you never actually invited me ov-"

"Edward." Bella chuckled. "Relax. You overthink things." She smirked and poked a single finger into his chest. "Besides, I have to keep you close now. I have no choice."

Edward had space enough in his head to be shocked at her sudden closeness again, curious on what Bella had to say, a sort of joy that Bella wouldn't want him to go away, and unease for the same reason. This all manifested into an impressive single eyebrow raise and head tilt.

"Whether or not you believe it." Bella glanced up at Edward from the corner of her eye. "You know my darkest secret."

xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Later**

"It should be just up ahead. We're almost there." Jacob called over his shoulder. Bella huffed behind him, glad the trek was almost over. She kept tripping over sticks and slippery patches.

"Wow." Bella breathed as she crested over the last hill before the beach. The water mirrored the dark and stormy clouds above, but the vista was just as breathtaking. It reminded her of a nightmare she used to love because of the pretty backdrop. "It's been awhile since I've been here. It's beautiful."

Jacob scrunched up his face. "I thought you were just here."

"Right, I meant, in the daylight." Bella added hastily.

"Oh." Jacob sighed and blushed. _She was here with this guy at night._ He didn't really know her but already he was jealous.

Bella skipped down to the beach. As she got close to the spot where the shoes were Bella heard two voices. She held up a hand for Jacob to stop and be quiet. _I'm too late._ They both crouched down. Jacob didn't know why at first, he just wanted to play along.

There were two men on the other side of the "Mic Jagger" rock. She tried to hear what they were saying but the wind was blocking most of it and they were speaking in a tongue Bella had trouble with following. The only phrase she could pick up on was "lost trail."

Jacob stood up suddenly. "Oh, I know them." He grinned. The way Bella had reacted to the voices put Jacob on edge but he shook it off now. Jacob helped Bella up to her feet but she was still cautious.

The voices stopped and a figure stepped around the rock. He looked only 18 or 19, but his body was large and muscular. He only had on a pair of elastic jersey shorts.

"Jacob." The voice greeted in low deep tones.

"Hey, Sam." Jacob responded with a friendly wave. "Going for a swim?"

Sam didn't reciprocate the cordial tone. "What are you doing here?" He turned to look at Bella. An odd exchange passed between them. While Sam narrowed his eyes, she smirked back wickedly. "You shouldn't be out here." The message was for the both of them, but Bella heard the warning hidden in it.

"I left something here." Bella stepped around Sam's hulking mass dismissing his unwarranted authority. "I just came to retrieve it." She walked between him and the other boy he had been talking to. The second boy was similarly dressed as Sam but who looked to be only a little older than Jacob. She stopped in front of him and smiled. "Oh, you've found them. Thank you." Bella stretched out her arm expectantly.

The boy, Paul, looked back at Sam for guidance. Sam shrugged and nodded. Reluctantly, Paul placed a pair of sporty oxford's in her hands. They were soaking wet and ruined. The laces on the left shoe were missing. Still, Bella shoved them into her backpack.

"You probably haven't met." Jacob said jovially, completely oblivious to the odd tension in the air. "You know the police chief? This is his daughter, Isa- I mean, this is Bella. Bella that's Sam and Paul."

Paul saluted when his name was said.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." Sam stepped forward to shake her hand. "Be careful heading back." His dark soulful eyes peered into Bella's. "The woods can be dangerous and the storm is coming."

"Will do." Jacob pulled on Bella's arm and they retreated back up the beach.

Xoxoxoxoxo Xoxoxoxoxo Xoxoxoxoxo Xoxoxoxoxo

 **Earlier**

Edward walked Bella to her car. "So, if you have to keep me close," Edward began as if he were relaying a math problem. "And I'm unable to stay away from you. . . "

"Yes?" Bella unlocked her trunk and shoved her back pack inside.

"I was wondering what your plans were this evening."

Bella spun on her heels. "Are you asking me out?" She looked at him incredulously.

"No." Edward furrowed his eyebrows. "Can't friends ask friends what their schedule looks like?"

"We're friends?" Bella raised her eyebrows wickedly.

Edward huffed. "Bella, you're being difficult."

"Have I ever been easy?"

Edward tossed it around before having to agree. "No."

"Well, then." She grinned and leaned on her open door.

"God, are you going to give me another three stories about this too?"

"Hmm." Bella contemplated it. "It's tempting."

Edward groaned and pushed a hand up onto his temple. "I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"Oh, man, it's too easy to get under your skin."

"You're the exception." Edward muttered under his breath. "I'm normally impenetrable."

"I'm busy today." Bella threw him a bone and answered his original question. "But I'm free tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Edward repeated, etching the day in his mind. He took a chance and asked, "What are you doing today?"

"Cleaning my room." Bella grinned, then hopped into her truck.

"And that's going to take all afternoon?"

"You haven't seen my room." Bella let the deafening roar of the truck end their conversation.

xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo

 **Later**

"Jacob." Sam called before he and Bella got too far up the beach. Jacob turned around and Sam called out something in their native tongue.

"Er, alright." Jacob replied a little unsure. "See you around." Jacob grabbed Bella's arm and they hurried over the lip of the beach.

"What was that?" Bella whispered when they marched into the woods.

Jacob shrugged with a bewildered expression. "I don't really know." He looked at Bella's backpack and a thought occurred to him. "Who were you with? Who's shoes are those?"

She contemplated telling the truth or not. "Edward Cullen's." She answered truthfully.

Jacob burst out laughing. "Oh, that explains it then. Superstitious cronies."

"What? What explains it?" She smiled at his delight, but she was still confused.

"Oh, it's nothing really."

"What?" Bella pushed his arm.

"It's a long story." Jacob blushed. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Bella grinned mischievously. "I like stories."

"Sam and a few others. . . they don't like the Cullens." Jacob explained after a moment but didn't say more. A few minutes passed in silence. The only sound were the heavy drops of water hitting the leaves above their heads and their shoes sloshing on the ground. Bella didn't push it. It wasn't his secret to tell. Besides, she wanted to hear it coming from Edward's lips.

Jacob had a question on his mind since the beginning of their trek. It bubbled up out of him. "Um, are you dating him?"

"What?"

"Are you dating that. . . Edward guy?"

Now Bella burst out in laughter. "Not yet." She adjusted the straps on her back pack. "Come on. Let's get out of this rain."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 **Earlier**

When she got home from school, Bella ran up the stairs and closed the bedroom door behind her. She surveyed the mess of her bedroom. She needed to get the chaos cleaned up before Charlie got home. How he didn't hear it happening was a mystery Bella couldn't solve. Even if he was a deep sleeper, it didn't make sense.

Bella tested the lock mechanism on her door. Would Charlie be more or less likely to attempt to get into her room if it was locked? If this happened again and Charlie came to check on her, would he be more alarmed that she locked the door? Bella would have to think of a better way to keep Charlie out. She decided to do some research later this evening after dinner. Maybe she would call her mom. _Maybe._

After retrieving a trash bag from the kitchen downstairs, she tossed the broken alarm clock down into it as well as a few CD's that didn't survive the night. She collected the books and began storing them back on their shelves one by one. She grumbled every time a page got loose from one of her favorite books. It was her own damn fault. She had been careless and didn't heed the warnings. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Without looking down, Bella picked up a belt from the floor and wrapped it around the shelf. She pulled out a stick of crazy glue and began putting the small trinkets that didn't break back in their place after coating the bottom. Before she moved on to the clothes, there was a tap on her window.

She had just glued down a picture of her parents when they were together, and jumped at the noise, changing the angle of the frame. "Oh shit." She righted it before the glue could dry and then opened the window "What is it?" She asked tersely.

Perched at the end of the branch, a large crow stared back at her with beady black eyes. A single shoe lace dangled from it's beak.

Tentatively, Bella reached her hand out the window. The crow obediently dropped the sting into her palm. Realizing the significance, Bella looked back the crow. "Crap." She began to wind the string around her wrist. She shut the window and flew down the stairs. Before she got in her truck, Bella loosened a bolt on the intake valve. "Time to meet an old friend." Bella muttered to herself while driving down towards La Push.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I hope you enjoyed the update. I decided to give you a lil' something to chew on. An amuse bouche if you will.  
**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. Your comments are much appreciated.  
**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth  
**

Chapter 8: Favor

* * *

1 Unread message: Bella

Bella: So now that we're "friends." Can I ask a favor?

Edward: That didn't take long. I thought you would have given it a few days into our friendship before using it for your benefit.

Bella: Your terminology. Not mine.

Edward: Are you going to ask me to be your getaway driver in your next heist? While I admit I would be an excellent choice, I'm not interested. Thank you.

Bella: For someone so smart it's surprising how often you're wrong.

Edward: Did you just compliment me?

Bella: You'll know if I'm complimenting you without the need for clarification.

Edward: Maybe you get off on being confusing and cryptic.

Bella: I've changed my mind. I don't need a favor from you. Forget it.

Edward: I didn't take you for a quitter.

Bella: You wouldn't let me start.

Edward: And I thought I couldn't stop you.

Edward waited for a reply but it never came. He groaned and flopped back onto his couch. The feeling of guilt swarmed into his chest. He was only trying to stay in line with Bella's amount of sass and quick wit. Reading over the messages, Edward realized he sounded like a jackass.

"What's happening with me?" He shook his head angry with himself.

After a few more minutes with no response, Edward decided to call her. He felt nervous for the first time, a light tingling in his stomach. The phone rang. What would she say if she answered? He hated communicating like this and not knowing how the other person reacted or thought. He couldn't judge how best to talk with her.

"Hey," Bella's voice greeted and Edward smiled momentarily. "You've got Bella's phone. Leave a message after the beep. Or don't. It's your life. Do whatever you want."

Edward hung up before the recording beep. He launched himself out of his room, grabbing his coat on the way. While jumping down to the ground floor, Edward tossed the keys up from his coat pocket and caught them around his pinky finger. They twirled around a few rotations before he clenched them in his fist. Avoiding Esme and Emmett, he skirted into the garage.

Charlie set his belt holster down on the hallway table. After shrugging out of his coat he wiped his brow that was wet from the rain and made his way to the den. While sitting in his chair he realized something was different. "Bells?" He called out realizing Bella hadn't bounded from the Kitchen to say dinner was almost ready. He pulled the curtains back to see that her car wasn't in the driveway. Rain drops were falling onto the pavement. The dark clouds kept what little light of day from shining through. A silver Volvo stopped in front of his house.

Dr. Cullen's adopted son was driving by himself, the younger one with bronze hair. Charlie had only seen him during school visits or across the parking lot at the local grocery store. The kid looked frustrated towards his house. Lines in his forehead that seemed too deep for a teenager. Why was he here? Bella might know him. Maybe he knew where she was. Charlie waved at Edward through the window but he wasn't sure if the boy could see him through the rain. He grabbed an umbrella and headed outside.

"You're Edward right?" Charlie called while walking up. The boy, well, the man, young man got out his car.

"Yes, sorry for loitering, Chief Swan. I was actually hoping to speak to Bella. We have a class together. Do you know where she is?" Edward frowned before Charlie could answer.

"Well, I was actually about to ask you the same question. She's always home by the time I get off. I don't know where she went off to. Very strange."

"I see. This isn't normal for her." Edward nodded. "I was trying to get a hold of her but she wasn't answering me back."

"You've been talking to her?" Charlie blinked. Was he supposed to know this? He suddenly felt foolish for not knowing more about Bella's friends.

"Just about homework." Edward answered. "Well, I'm sure she'll be back soon. I guess I'll see her tomorrow at school. Sorry to bother you."

"Not at all. No trouble." Charlie hitched his pants up.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Swan." Edward stuck his hand out. Charlie grabbed it, trying to assert his masculinity. Then he realized this was just a 17 year old boy. Why were his defenses up?

"You live out of town right?" Charlie asked swallowing a wave of unease. He's just kid in Bella's class. "You came all this way. Why don't you come inside?"

Edward grinned. "I'd love that actually. I don't want to impose though."

"You're not imposing anything. I was just gonna watch some basketball."

"Alright. Celtics and the Bulls tonight, right?"

"Yes, but I don't really have a dog in the fight. I'm a Lakers fan, myself."

"Ah, I was born in Chicago." Edward shrugged. "Chicago pride runs deep."

Avoiding the subject of his adoption, Charlie rubbed his hands together. "Lets go Bulls."

They began walking back towards the house, but Edward stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.

"Sorry, Mr. Swan. I just remembered a previous engagement. How about a rain check?" Edward looked up. "A literal rain check."

"Oh. Um. Sure." Charlie barely turned around before Edward was already back in his car.

"Tell Bella I said hello."

"I will." Charlie waved, but Edward was already out of sight before the words left his mouth.

A car honked behind him.

"Hey, old timer! Get out of the road!" A familiar gravelly voice yelled out from the open window from the passenger seat.

"Billy!" Charlie grinned. "What a surprise."

"We picked up a straggler." Jacob beamed after turning the car off and hopping out.

Bella poked her head out from the back seat.

"Bella!" Charlie sighed in relief. "You didn't call."

"Sorry," Bella said getting out and running under the porch awning. "My truck broke down. Jacob's gonna fix it though."

"Once I get it in the garage out of the rain I'll be able to tell what's going on with it. I think there's a bolt missing."

"You broke down?" Charlie gulped. "In this weather? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. All good. Jake was around the corner when it happened." She eyed the sky impatiently. There was only a few minutes left.

"Wow, thanks Jake. I really do appreciate your help. I'll pay you, of course."

"Don't worry about it Big C." Jacob shrugged.

"Well, at least come inside. Bulls and Celtics tonight."

"I think that's what my old man was hoping for." Jacob grinned. "Our TV went out." He looked over at Bella excited to spend more time with her but she was marching inside the house. Then Billy asked for his help inside.

They all crowded around the TV. Charlie sat between Jake and Bella pointedly. After a few minutes Bella announced she was going to turn in.

"Do you want me to take you to school tomorrow?" Charlie asked over a handful of potato chips.

"That's okay. I'll just walk." Bella yawned. She excused herself from Billy and Jake's company. "See you later. Thanks again for everything." Then she turned and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She locked the door behind her.

xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo

Edward thumbed through a volume of green dyed cloth bound books. Their pages were yellowed with age but not a speck of dust or mold could be found on them. The journals and epitomes and volumes all had been kept with the greatest care through the ages by a single owner. Edward had scoured the first bookcase in Carlisle's study and was about to go on to the next.

 _-Looking for something?-_ Carlisle thought from the doorway.

"Yes, but I'm not sure what." He turned to Carlisle. "You've been around awhile." He stated dryly.

"Yes." Carlisle raised an eyebrow. _-What is it you want?_ -

"In your many years have you ever come across a creature like ourselves? Not the shape shifting wolves, but something different. Someone who looked human and smelled human and acted human but. . . wasn't human."

Carlisle took the question seriously. "I can't say that I personally have." _-There are rumors of course.-_

"Rumors? Of what?" Edward's eyes lit up intensely.

"Of other beings of lore. Changelings, goblins, trolls." Carlisle shrugged noncommittally. "If they're true, their properties are probably as accurate as a vampire's description in the media." Which meant no accuracy whatsoever. "What is this about?"

Edward sighed and sat down in Carlisle's leather brown arm chair. "Bella."

"Really?" This piqued Carlisle's interest.

"One of the stories she gave me, I didn't think was possible, but. Tell me, Carlisle." He leaned forward. "You examined Bella at the hospital. You did a full eval. Do you think she could be more than human?"

"No. Well," He scratched his chin. _-I was more worried about contusions or concussions. I wasn't looking for evidence that she was or wasn't human. There was nothing apparent. She just seemed like a normal teenage girl that got in an accident and wanted to be left alone.-_

Edward groaned. "I know. That's the problem. Everything about her seems normal. But there's just. . . something. . ."

 _-Though I did think it odd at the time. . . -_

"What?"

 _-Oh, it's nothing.-_

"Carlisle."

 _-It's nothing. Only, I did find it strange that. . . what you described happening, with the force her head hit the pavement when you pulled her back. . . it's only to be expected to have swelling or tenderness if not a minor concussion. It means nothing, but I would have thought there would be more damage. Unless of course you exaggerated.-_

"While I'm prone for dramatics, that wasn't one." Edward remembered looking at the x-rays and being relieved that nothing was wrong. But that only made him more certain that nothing was abnormal either.

Edward sighed and then chuckled softly. "So you don't think she's a troll or goblin then?"

"No." Carlisle grinned. _-I think she's a very pretty young girl that's messing with you and I think you like that.-_

Edward rolled his eyes and walked out of Carlisle's study.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Charlie did drive Bella to school in the morning much to her chagrin. She wanted to walk. It was only a mile and half. Back in Phoenix she walked everywhere and she missed the exercise. The spaces were too far apart in this little town in the wilderness, even if there wasn't a horrible downpour.

The day passed normally, but come lunch time Edward was sitting in the table they shared the other day. Wordlessly, Bella joined him. Like before she set her feet up on the table and opened up her book immediately. Edward cocked his head and simply stared at her. Bella read for the entire period. They didn't speak a word to each other.

"Must be a good book." Edward finally broke the silence on their way to biology.

"It's alright." Bella answered.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." Edward started to apologize.

"You didn't upset me." Bella responded quickly.

"Well, I'm sorry all the same for what I said when you were asking for help. That wasn't like me."

"I hate when people say that." Bella rolled her eyes. "If you do something or say something, that becomes a part of your history. That _is_ like you."

"That's a very unforgiving view."

"It's not a judgement. I just don't like it when people do something they regret and shrug it off and say, 'I wasn't me in that moment.'"

"You're upset." Edward frowned.

"No, I'm not. You didn't say anything offensive. I just changed my mind, because that _is_ like me."

They stopped in front of the doorway. Neither of them making a move towards it.

"Well," Bella threw her hand up. "Are you going in?"

Edward smiled. "No. I'm skipping today."

Bella blinked. "Why?"

How to answer? They were blood typing today so obviously he couldn't stay. 1) Because he physically couldn't bleed, let alone his skin couldn't be pierced by metal. 2) He was getting thirsty and 20 students with drops of blood around him might tip him over the edge. 3) Bella's blood would definitely send him over the edge. And he would have to kill the whole class. It wasn't a probability.

Bella peered into the room and saw the box of lancets. She groaned and zipped her head back out. "They're pricking fingers today. I guess I'll be skipping too."

Edward cocked his head.

"I can't be around blood." Bella lied smoothly. She made a gesture with her hands motioning being grossed out. "I've fainted before. What's your excuse?"

"Just feel like skipping." Edward shrugged. But his eyes narrowed as he remembered the passage in the poem about her blood not being red. Was there another reason she couldn't be in class?

"Well then," Bella grabbed his hand and for the third time Edward was shocked by her touch. "Let's go before the teacher comes for us."

Edward rearranged his features into a grin and they both scurried outside. Edward led her to a bench under a metal awning.

"I love that sound." Bella closed her eyes. "The sound of rain hitting a metal roof. It's comforting."

"I thought you didn't like the rain."

"I don't, but I like the sound of it." She opened her eyes and Edward was closer than he ever had been, staring at her with a peculiar expression.

"What?"

"I'm trying to read your mind." Edward said truthfully. He was getting tired of games.

"Any luck?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Aw well." Bella sighed supportively.

"But I'm getting better at reading your expressions." Edward took a breath and his throat scorched with longing. "What was the favor you were going to ask?" His words were smooth, despite the fire in his throat.

"I was going to ask if you could give me a ride. My car broke down yesterday."

Edward felt a wave of guilt crash over him. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. I could have taken you. Is your car okay?"

Bella explained what happened the other day. Avoiding the parts of meeting Sam and retrieving his shoes. "I was really lucky."

"Yeah. What were you doing out there?"

Bella bit her lip. "Do you want to skip last period too?" She stood up suddenly. "I want to show you something."

"Okay, sure." Edward grinned. He felt suddenly excited.

"Besides, I could use a ride home." Bella smiled back.

Edward led Bella to his car and she hopped in without any hesitation.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Come on in," Bella waved Edward over. She opened the storm door and the wooden door behind it. She walked straight to the stairs and let Edward follow her. "Dad said you stopped by last night."

"Oh, um." Edward ruffled his hair.

"I told you, you're turning into a stalker." Bella laughed.

Edward started to feel self hatred. He was worse than a stalker. Bella was more prey than anything. _Why couldn't you just stay away? I'm a monster._

"You know I don't believe that, right?" Bella eyed Edward meaningfully. "That you're a stalker, I mean." She opened up her bedroom door. "Well, this is me. You're not going to combust walking into a girl's bedroom." Bella added noticing his hesitation.

But Edward had been in here before.

Bella swung her arm around the room as if showing it off. She spied the picture of her parents on her desk and her stomach plunged. She forgot. Quickly, Bella grabbed a t-shirt off the floor and tossed it over the frame.

Edward pretended not to notice the cover up. She was trying to hide something. Edward vowed to come back when she was asleep like he had done before. Otherwise the not knowing would have bugged him to death.

"Um. Here." Bella pulled out what looked like a file folder from under her mattress. "I was hoping to make a trade."

"What kind of trade?" Edward eyed the folder in her hand not sure what she could possible want and completely clueless about what she could offer.

"The locket from the tide pool. I'd like it back."

"Oh." Edward breathed. Was that all? He would have given it to her voluntarily. In fact he should have offered it to her on his own. But he didn't speak these thoughts out loud. Edward wanted to see what Bella would do next. What was in the folders.

"In exchange, I'll give you a map."

"A map of what?" Edward raised his eyebrows.

Bella grinned and shrugged coyly. "You'll have to figure that out."

"Is this another puzzle?"

"No. I literally just said it was a map. Is your hearing okay?"

"My hearing is fine." Edward rolled his eyes. "The locket is in my room. I can bring it to you tomorrow."

Bella pulled the folders under her arms closer to her chest. That wouldn't do. She needed it as soon as possible.

"Or we can go now and get it." Bella supplied hopefully.

"I have to pick up Rosalie and Emmett from school." Edward sighed, wishing they drove separately. Maybe he could leave them. No, there would be too many questions. And dealing with Rosalie for the next year would be a nightmare.

"Oh right." Bella nodded. "I'm keeping you from your siblings. Sorry." She cocked her head. "What about Alice and Jasper. I haven't seen them in awhile. Where are they?" Bella asked even though she knew the answer.

"Alice is trying to find her biological parents." Edward lied.

"I see." Bella bit her lip. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Bella placed the folders onto her desk, bidding Edward adeu.

"Do you need a ride?" Edward said as he walked outside. "Tomorrow, for school, do you need a ride?"

"Yes, that would be great." Bella answered from the door. "You don't mind?"

"No. Of course not. Rosalie has her own car. I'll pick you up." Edward felt lighthearted all of a sudden as he climbed back into the Volvo. He would come back tonight, after he hunted.

Bella's phone rang. "Hey, Mom." She answered while staring out the window towards the car going out of sight into the blur of water droplets on her window. She traced her finger down the white lacy curtain. "Yeah, I'm sure." Her voice turned dark. "I've found them."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry if this chapter was a little boring but only because the next one is . . . well. I can't give anything away. Ugh.**

 **So, if you want the next chapter. . . leave me a review!  
**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

 **AN: As I was writing this chapter, it went in a different direction than I intended. Same ending, mind you. But getting there was entirely different in my head. Sometimes head space and writing space pan out differently I guess. Anyway. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth  
**

Chapter Nine: Dangerous

* * *

There was a knock on the door. "Be there in a second." Billy called from the kitchen. He had been doing some late night snacking on some leftovers even though he knew he shouldn't have. Everyone has their vices. Billy's was a sweet tooth.

Jake appeared from his room and stifled a yawn. "I'll get it." He strode over to the door in four large steps. "Hey Paul."

"Hey, Jake. Hi Billy." The kid poked his head around Jake to wave at Billy. Paul was fully dressed unlike the last time Jake had seen him.

"Paul." Billy greeted, bumping his wheelchair over the lip of the kitchen. "Well, this is a surprise. Jake, would you excuse us?"

"Uh. Sure." Jacob shrugged. Billy did play mentor to some of the kids in town but no one ever came this late to talk to him. He didn't even know Paul and Billy talked at all. Jacob used to hang out with Paul but lately he was distant. He stopped coming to school too. I guess it would make sense to want to talk to an older person if he was having issues. Still though, Jacob felt a little betrayed that Paul couldn't confide in him. He turned around and headed back towards his room.

"Actually, I have a question for Jacob." Paul still stood in the open doorway.

Billy looked to his son slightly startled. "Oh, alright."

"What is it?" Jacob's eyes narrowed. A crow cawed from the rooftop and Paul flinched.

"Can I come inside?" He asked warily eyeing the bird with suspicion.

"Of course." Billy said. Paul quickly ducked inside and shut the door. He leaned against the couch and stared at Jacob.

"When we saw you and Bella on the beach, what did Bella say she was doing?"

Jacob shrugged. "Just that she and this guy left something, the shoes, on the beach. I didn't see what the big deal was about it though. I couldn't let her go by herself though."

"And did she tell you who the shoes belong to?"

"Yes."

"And whose are they?"

Jacob flexed. "Why does it matter? Why do you want to know?"

Billy eyed him and Paul back and forth trying to keep up.

"Because she might be in danger." Paul muttered reluctantly.

"Oh, bologna." Jacob shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you believe that crap too."

"If you are any friend of that girls, if you value her safety, then you'll tell me."

"Jacob." Billy sat straight up, nervous. "Who did she say she was with?"

Jacob stared out the window not sure what to do. This was all so foolish. Foolish and dumb and he didn't want anything to do with it.

"She was with me." Jacob barked. "Okay. She was with me. They were my shoes. We went down to the beach together. I thought she would like it. It was me."

Paul's eyes narrowed. "I know you're lying."

"Give it a break." Jacob groaned. "Just because you don't have any luck with girls doesn't mean the rest of us are doomed." He stomped back to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. _Why did I lie for her. . . for him?_ Jake banged his head on his headboard. _Such a dummy._

Through the walls he could still hear Paul and Billy talking. He stayed quiet. The walls were thin.

"Sam isn't sure." Paul's muffled voice bled through. "There's no trace of it after the rain, but I know what I smelled. That's what Sam and I were trying to do."

"And Bella was with it?"

"That's the other weird part." Paul's voice got quieter. "Today was the first time I smelled her. She wasn't there before."

Jacob scrunched up his face. _Smell her? And what did he mean she wasn't there. She knew exactly where those shoes were._

"Maybe after smelling the abomination, you just didn't pay attention? Their smell is overwhelming, you might have missed hers." Billy supplied.

"No." Paul shook his head. "Trust me, Billy. I wouldn't have forgotten a scent like Bella's. That's why Sam asked Jacob to keep an eye on her."

"So she still might be in danger?"

"Well, maybe." Paul paused. "If one of them is willing to break one rule, he might break the others. But that's not why-"

Jacob fell off his bed with a loud crash, interrupting their conversation.

X0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0xx0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Edward stuck to the shadows, avoiding the flood lights on the back of the Swan's house. Bella and Charlie's vehicles were both parked in the driveway. Charlie was dreaming about the water. A small boat, lapping water. He was peacefully asleep and hopelessly unaware as Edward climbed up the tree closest to Bella's window. Of course, Bella's dreams evaded him as her thoughts did.

Pressing his fingers onto the pane and pushing up, Edward tried to open the window. But it wouldn't budge. It was locked. The brass knob on the inside was turned vertically to the lock position. He leaned back onto the branch delicately. It swayed only because of the harsh breeze. He could see Bella's desk clearly and the t-shirt she had thrown earlier on it. A few feet separated him from what could potentially be a clue into Bella's life. While the branch swayed, Edward pondered his next move. He could force the window open. If he timed it with the thunder perhaps Bella wouldn't wake up. He turned his gaze towards the bed. Bella's soft body was strung out on it. She was twisted up in paisley patterned sheets with one leg wrapped around it and the other was hanging off the side of the mattress. A thick quilt was bunched up at the foot of the bed, discarded. Edward had to stifle a laugh. She looked stubborn even in unconsciousness.

He hadn't given much thought to humans sleeping. The view of Bella with her hair tangled wildly around her face distracted Edward for a moment. Sleeping looked. . . nice. He wondered idly what he would look like sleeping. And then what he would look like sleeping next to Bella. Rest was not something Edward needed. He was always on with no highs or lows, just going and going continuously in a straight line forever. Then there was the girl in front of him, putting a pause on reality. Her defenses were down and her face was round and unburdened. Edward's chest filled with an intense desire to stroke her cheek to see if it was really as soft as it looked.

The branch cracked under his foot. Edward had been leaning more forward than he meant to."Whoops." He muttered while quickly sliding down from the branch before he could cause any more damage to it.

He could still force the window open and get inside but there had to be a better way. Anything that might disturb Bella's sleep was out of the question. The thought of waking her up when she seemed so peaceful, was a sin in and of itself. If only she hadn't locked the window.

Breaking into the chief of police's house is high up on the list of things not to do for a normal person. But Edward wasn't normal. He found the extra house key under a potted plant on the porch. The door squeaked for the half a second it was opened. Edward hurried inside quicker and quieter than a shadow. When he had walked up the staircase earlier with Bella, Edward noted the steps that that groaned under any pressure. Using that knowledge as a blueprint he silently flew up the stairs.

In Charlie's dream the boat he was on had tipped over and he was struggling to stay above water. But the dream was dark and Charlie didn't seem worried. Edward focused once more on his goal. He gingerly turned the door handle. He pushed on it with the lightest pressure until the door hit the dead bolt. Another lock.

Edward scratched his chin. He was almost angry that she had set up all these locks, but then he realized it wasn't in vain. There was a very dangerous creature trying to get into her room. If he were really trying to do something though these locks wouldn't matter.

Again he could force it open, but it might wake Bella up. It might wake Charlie up to, but that wasn't his concern.

He remembered Bella bending down in front of their house and picking the lock. It couldn't be difficult. With that thought in mind, Edward zipped into the bathroom looking for one of Bella's hairpins.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Jasper." Alice whispered. Her eyes were unfocused and her hands lost their grip. "Jasper." She said again silently.

He wrapped his arms around her small shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Alice just shook her head still lost in her vision.

"Alice, love." Jasper pressed his lips to her head. Dread was the only emotion he could read. "What's wrong?"

"I was." Alice blinked, clearing the foresight away from her normal vision. "I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked intensely.

"I-I didn't. . ." Alice's lips trembled. "E. . . Edward." She saw a vision of Jasper asking if they needed to call Edward or call Carlisle.

She shook her head. Her next words were so small and lifeless. "It's already too late."

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Edward felt the bolt move in the lock. Triumphant he turned the handle to ease the door open, but a strong pressure pushed against the door. The door made a soft thud noise as it slammed against the threshold. Edward froze. After a moment he determined that no one had been aroused out of slumber.

He tried the door again. Once more something forcefully pushed back. Edward flexed slightly using more muscle than he usually ever needed, but the door didn't budge. Edward furrowed his eyebrows determined. He wasn't going to leave without getting in. With one last effort her pushed with all his might on the door. He used his whole body, maximizing the surface area so that his strength wouldn't concentrate on a single area and destroy the door.

The door swung wide open with no resistance and Edward flew inside the room. Edward caught himself before he fell. He straightened up and looked around trying to find the source of the resistance. But it was just her room as it was before.

Only the sleeping girl on the bed was sitting upright with her legs crossed in front of her and her head resting on her palm. "Breaking and entering is a criminal offense you know."

Edward froze like a marble statue. He felt like all of his organs were plummeting to the ground floor. Her words were biting. Edward was caught. Edward never got caught.

"I could have you arrested." Bella said smoothly, whipping the words he had used on her against him. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say. "There was entering." Bella continued. "And there was breaking." Bella nodded to her door that had cracked around its hinges. The door was only being held up by a few pieces."It would be pretty easy. There's a cop in the bedroom downstairs."

Edward had a million thoughts flood his mind. Maybe he could convince her she was dreaming. Start showcasing his full potential, things humans would never believe. Pulverise wood into sawdust with two fingers, jump and catch himself on the ceiling, run until he was a blur, but she was already on to him. That would be foolish and would never work. Not against Bella.

He could run. He could leave, leave for good. Leave Forks. Never look back. But he wouldn't do that.

He could tell her the truth. He could demand to know what she was trying to hide.

"Well." Bella breathed. "Are you even going to try to explain your way out of this?"

"No." Edward said after much deliberation. "I can't."

"Yes, sneaking into a teenage girl's room while she's sleeping doesn't really have a lot of wiggle room where you come out shining."

"I'm not." Edward blinked, finding his way out. "This is who I am. I'm not good. I'm someone very dangerous. Do it. Wake your father. He'll arrest me. I'll spend a night in jail maybe more. And you'll be forbidden from ever seeing me. That's the way it should be."

Bella tilted her head. "Why did you come here?"

"I already told you. I can't stay away. And that is very bad news for you. Wake your father, Bella. You have your secrets and I have mine. I shouldn't be in your life. I'm the last person that you should be friends with." His voice was filled with fiery passion. "I broke into your house, busted your door open while you were asleep. Wake your father. I deserve it. What you said earlier, about people pretending to be something they're not. Well this is me. I'm not pretending anymore. I'm not good. I could hurt you and you could do nothing against me. I don't want to but there's this thing inside of me that does. And that should scare you. That thing, the thing that wants to hurt you, it's a part of me. It's a part of who I am."

Bella stared at him for a moment. "So you're a bad guy? Is that it?"

"That's why I ignored you after the accident. That's why I left for a week after I met you."

Bella shook her head. "You're not bad." She said slowly.

"I'm telling you Bella. I am. I am vile. I belong with the outlaws of society." He felt like a live wire thrashing around dangerously. Bella just sat on the edge of the bed calmly. Her tattered shirt and shorts hung loosely off of her. She looked completely at ease.

"No, if you were bad you wouldn't be trying so hard." Bella rose to her feet. "You're trying to protect yourself from me. No, you're not bad. What you are is dangerous."

"One in the same." Edward hung his head. "Anything dangerous is bad."

"No." Bella insisted. "Dangerous is something you are. Being bad is choice."

"I'm both, Bella." Edward said through gritted teeth. "God, Bella. Look at what I just did. The proof is there." He gestured to himself. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because it's not true. Because you don't see yourself like I do." Bella hissed.

"You don't know anything about me." Edward hissed back. "If you won't wake your father up then I will." Edward turned on his heels, but Bella's hand jutted out and grazed his shoulder. He stopped instantly. Edward closed his eyes in frustration, not able to move while her pale vulnerable bare arm touched him. She slid her hand deeper down to the middle of his chest.

"I know what you are." Bella said intensely. A flash of lightning struck down followed closely by crackling thunder that shook the floor boards. Edward and Bella were backlit for a moment. Their bodies casting shadows on the floor that looked like two embracing figures.

"Then you know that you should remove your hand and get as far away as possible from me." Edward instructed clearly in a low serious voice.

"You won't hurt me."

"Don't test me, Bella."

"You're stronger than you think you are. You think you're a monster but you're wrong." Bella came to his own defense.

"Who are you to tell me what I'm thinking?" The words slid out from his tongue like a snake in the grass. "I am a monster. I'm condemned to the shadows because of what I am."

"I know that." Bella responded unnerved. She stepped closer. "And I know that you're a mind reader and a damn good one. And I know that you listen to music to drown out the voices of everyone in your head. I know Chopin is your favorite because your mother played him. And I know that your family doesn't understand how isolated you feel. I know the burden you've put on yourself. And I know how much you miss your sister Alice. And I know why they had to leave."

Edward looked down at her shocked. "Bella."

"I know it's been hell sitting by my side. And I know why you came back and stayed there. I know why you saved me."

"Bella." Edward blinked not sure if this was real. He felt a war raging inside of him.

"So for once, please." Bella pleaded. "Be honest with me."

He felt himself forming the words, it was on the tip of his tongue, on the edge of truth. Once again, Bella had turned the situation on its head. What started out as a quest for a clue turned into a confessional. He stared at her big brown eyes and he was pushed into their inviting depths.

"Vampire." Edward whispered, wincing as he said it. He couldn't take it back now. He couldn't rescind the word. It was out there. It's own living thing that couldn't be ignored. An ugly truth that roared with large fangs exposing it's raw insides.

"Vampire." Bella repeated in the same tone. "Vampire." She said again testing the word out against her tongue. Edward shut his eyes, feeling attacked each time she said it. Bella withdrew her arm but kept her palm on Edward's chest. She tapped lightly, deep in thought. "Huh."

She took a moment more in consideration, all while staring at Edward's tragically handsome features. Memorizing the crushing vulnerability currently etched there.

Then she stepped back and turned away.

"I won't hurt you." Edward reassured her, in what he hoped was a soft voice.

Bella got on her knees paying no attention.

"I'll leave. I promise you. You won't have to see me again. I'll leave. I can do it."

Bella pulled the folder she had showed him the other day out from the mattress. She held it outstretched towards him. "The locket, please."

The locket with the picture of her and one of her relatives he found in the tide pool. The clue from the third day of her game. The one where she insinuated that she wasn't human. After she had made the offer, Edward kept the locket in his coat in case he ran into her again before school.

He looked confusedly at Bella. He had just confessed to being a blood drinking creature of myth but Bella focused on the locket. The chain dangled out from his palm and he dropped it into Bella's hand. Likewise, Bella passed on the papers to Edward.

She sighed in relief and grasped the cold metal with both hands. Without hesitation Bella strung it around her neck, looping the chain over her head.

"It doesn't matter to me." She said. "I don't care what you are." Bella walked confidently over to the nightstand. "But." She said gravely. "You're going to have to prove it."

Without any warning, Bella picked up the scissors on the end table and slashed into her skin. Edward moved to stop her. He knocked the scissors out of her hand. Both of his hands grasped tightly on her wrists. He felt the glass break on the watch she was wearing. But he was too late. Blood began flowing down her arm. Edward zeroed in on the red stream with black thirsty eyes. His nostrils flared with the surprise gush of blood. As another strike of lightening hit nearby, the thing inside of him that wanted to hurt Bella busted out of it's cage. The sight of Bella's blood unlocked the monster from years of obedience. Thunder growled up above. It was out now and wild with freedom and desire.

 _No._ Edward thought as he pulled his lips back. _No_. Edward tried to resist against the urge but it was too strong. _No._ His head tilted to the side. _No_. His left hand grabbed Bella's hair and pulled down so that her neck was exposed. _No._ His other hand wrapped around her back to hold her in place. _No._ Edward leaned forward and angled down. _No. Stop. Stop. Stop._ Razor sharp teeth pierced into Bella's skin, digging into her flesh. The monster rejoiced. It won. And this was his prize. Her blood finally flowed into his mouth and onto his tongue.

Edward popped his eyes open in shock and released himself from Bella's body. He felt like he had been hit by a bus and then splashed with ice cold water.

Bella fell back onto the bed, limp, and unmoving.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Alice gathered the new clothes she had bought while they were away. Jasper joined her with an inquisitive look. He held the packed bags while Alice grabbed the car keys. She fiddled with them and furrowed her eyebrows. "It's time to go home now."

* * *

 **AN: At this point, I don't know how to end a chapter without a cliff hanger.**

 **I'm actually getting more and more nervous with every chapter that you guys are going to dislike what I write. Like, I actually get a little bubble of anxiety whenever I hit post.**

 **This one was a hard one. But stick with me? Okay? Okay. We're all in this together.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **I hope you guys are having/had a good weekend.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

 **AN: Not to set your expectations up, but this was my favorite chapter to write so far. Hopefully, it's an exciting read as well.**

 _Last time on Edge of Truth:  
_

 _Bella gave Edward doubt and played a game where she told him three different stories. Two of them were lies and one was the truth. There was the Lipstick Thief, the member of Caged Bee Cafe (an underground rock group), and something more than human. To get more clues to figure out who Bella is, Edward snuck into her house at night. But Bella confronted him and he eventually revealed that he was a vampire. Bella wanted proof and cut into her skin with a pair of scissors, sending Edward into a frenzy. Alice and Jasper have decided to come home._

* * *

 **Edge of Truth**

Chapter 10: Ashes

* * *

The door slammed opened and Edward dragged himself inside. "Carlisle!" He cried out, powered only by panic and grief. "Carlisle!"

 _-I'm here. Edward what happened-_ "Oh god." Carlisle breathed.

Edward dripped into the living room. Wet hair fell over his forehead, almost obscuring his crimson colored eyes. He was shaking with his hands balled up into fists. "Carlisle." He whispered, pleadingly. His face contorted in agony.

"Edward. What happened?" Carlisle grabbed Edward's shoulders.

"I-I. . ." Edward couldn't form the words.

"Is it Bella?" Carlisle guessed.

Edward fell to his knees drawing in ragged breaths. "Bella." He crooned.

Carlisle straightened up, after taking in the evidence. Everyone looked to him and depended on him. It was his duty to protect his family. "We'll handle this."

"Handle this?" Edward bit back suddenly lucid.

Rosalie rolled her eyes thinking Edward was being too dramatic. "It's really a blessing in disguise, Edward. If you think about it, this was bound to happen sooner or later. It's better that you just got it over with and killed the girl. I mean she was so annoying. I would have killed her myself if-"

Edward roared something horrible and inhuman. He power jumped into the air and tackled Rosalie. She yelped as he twisted her arm and smashed her shoulder down into the floor. She tried to kick Edward off but he dodged her knees. He bared his teeth, so close to just ripping in, somewhere, anyway. It didn't matter as long as she felt pain. However, Emmett's large powerful hands wrenched Edward away and flung him across the room. He landed with a crash next to the fireplace, caving in the wall. Bits of dry wall crumbled to the floor around him.

"What the hell, Edward? That's my girl. You don't fucking hurt her." _-You don't know what it's like.-_

Edward stood to his feet and stared at Emmett with cold dead eyes. Red eyes. "I don't know? I don't know what it's like? I held her in my hands, Emmett. I know what it's like to see the one you love feel panic, and pain, and to see them. . . to see her. . ." He couldn't finish. He kept seeing it, the way her body fell back onto the bed. The gash in her neck. The blood weakly trickling out. He winced and tried to shake out the offending images. The only sound he possessed was a guttural heart wrenching wail.

Then he felt a familiar loosening of emotions, like a tight cord had been given slack. Jasper.

 _-I'm so sorry Edward.-_ A lofty high voice he hadn't heard in a while. It was Alice. She was home. Her light footsteps were on the porch.

Edward heard Jasper's reaction to the emotional climate. Jasper didn't react. He didn't try to manipulate emotions. He only observed. The room varied all over the map. It only grew more complex with their arrival.

They were two figures standing under the front porch light. The door was still left open from when Edward came in.

"Alice. Jasper." Esme cried out in relief. "Oh, this is a bad time for a homecoming."

Quickly, Alice kissed Esme's cheek and then turned to Carlisle. "What's the plan?" They thoughts were all action.

"Rose and I will make sure that her body gets discovered in a-"

"No. Don't touch her!" Edward yelled furiously. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"We must, Edward. We have to cover our tracks." Carlisle said reasonably. "You've been seen hanging out with her. We can't arouse suspicion."

"No one touches her." Edward growled again.

Alice shook her head and rubbed her temple. "Edward," She started.

Edward turned sharply. Daring her. "Don't." He barred his teeth into a harsh grimace. "This is your fault. If you hadn't made me think. . . . If you didn't given me hope."

"I'm sorry, Edward." Alice pleaded. "I don't expect an apology. I don't want one. I know. Hate me forever. You have every right too, but know that I lost a friend too." Alice looked deeply troubled. "I'll go with Carlisle and deal with the body." _-May have to burn her, or make it look like animals. . .-_

"No. No! Don't touch her. Don't FUCKING touch her." Edward lashed out. Emmett narrowed his eyes.

Carlisle looked at Emmett meaningfully. _-. . . restrain him. . .-_

Edward crouched down defensively, with his hands shaped into claws. He looked like a crazed man on the edge of destruction.

"Let's go now." Alice insisted.

"No!" Edward lunged towards the door, but Emmett bulldozed him and locked him into a steel clad grip. "No!" He kept screaming and struggling to be set free.

"Emmett, Jasper," Carlisle nodded solemnly. "Keep Edward here. Rosalie stay out of the house for now, don't antagonize him."

Edward kicked and pushed and tried to bite out of Emmett's grasp as Carlisle and Alice ran into the black of night. When they got out of his mind reading radius, Edward stopped. He slumped forward, which was a difficult thing to do being restrained by one of the world's strongest vampires.

Edward felt Jasper try to pour a sense of calm over him. "I don't want to be calm." He spat, but already he could feel the sharp edges of his rage dim and weaken. He started to realize how physically uncomfortable he felt. "Let me go." He hissed.

Jasper nodded at Emmett.

Instead of letting Edward go, Emmett walked towards the staircase.

"Oh, this is ridiculous." Edward rolled his eyes. However, Emmett didn't stop until he was standing inside Edward's room. He released him then, letting his arms unlock and melt away back into regular arms instead of prison bars. Jasper once again used his ability to calm Edward down.

Edward didn't even get a chance to feel annoyed that he was being emotionally manipulated. Jasper's ability had been a lot stronger than what Edward thought he was capable of. Despite himself, Edward was mildly impressed.

 _-Stay. You're too emotionally unstable. We're keeping you here to protect you.-_ Jasper thought as he closed the door and leaned against the wall outside. _\- . . . haven't felt this emotion since Anna's mate was killed. . . She destroyed herself afterwards. Have to keep him from harming himself or the rest of the family.-_

But Edward didn't care. He didn't care what his needs were or his family's needs were. He didn't care about anyone's safety. All he could think about was Bella.

Now that his vision wasn't red with anger, he could properly think about what had happened. Her reckless lunge towards the scissors. How as fast as he was, he wasn't fast enough to stop her from spilling her blood. The next part was a blur. Like looking through the eyes of someone else but there was no real connection. He snapped back into reality as if the monster had recoiled back into its cage on its own. He realized what he had done. He had bitten and drank from her. Anguish overwhelmed him and he ran.

 _Bella's dead._

 _Bella's dead. I killed her._ He repeated this over and over, letting the pain of the words grow like fire until they had no more room to hurt. Then he began to feel numb. He wasn't sure how much time had passed. It could have been seconds or hours. It didn't matter anymore.

He would never see her smirk again. He would never get to see the blush she tried to hide under her hair. He would never know who Bella was.

Just then he felt the object under his jacket. He had forgotten about it - the folder Bella had given him as a trade for the locket.

Carefully, almost reluctantly, Edward pulled it out and flipped the cover open. There was a mix of pages and photos stacked on top of each other. On the first page, small words were scribbled in black pen. Like the note in the locket, it was undeniably Bella's handwriting.

 _If you're reading this, then I'm probably dead._

Edward's eyes widened. If he wasn't sitting down he would have fallen over.

 _If you found this notebook on your own, then you will find nothing inside worthy of your time. Bury this or you will be cursed for the rest of your days._

 _If I gave you this notebook freely, then you need to destroy it immediately. There is nothing that can be done._

 _If I traded the notebook to you for something of my own, then I need you to follow the map. Don't delay. Hurry, there is still time._

 _-Bella_

A thousand questions flooded Edward's thoughts and just for a moment he forgot his pain. Like always, Bella confused him, even now after he had murdered her. He read the last line three times. There is still time. He wasn't sure what that meant and he tried to squash the little pin prick of light in his darkness. But "hope" was like a flower on a concrete sidewalk, determined to see the sun and survive. He had been burned by hope before, but he didn't learn his lesson.

Edward flipped to the next page.

There was a crude hastily made drawing in pencil. Dozens of square boxes lined up on some invisible grid. A large rectangle on the right hand side. A line was drawn around the perimeter of the whole thing, with large gaps in between certain sections of the line. A heavy handed "x" was pressed upon the square box two rows down and five columns to the right. X marks the spot. Whatever he needed to find was there. But where was there?

There was nothing else on this page to indicate where this could be, what those boxes were, or how to figure it out. But Edward saw some words bleeding through on the other side of the page.

 _Man's greatest equalizer._

 _The first two of the middle, the second of the first, the penultimate of love, and the beginning of end._

Another riddle. Edward would have rolled his eyes under different circumstances. Still, he couldn't believe that she was still playing games. If he needed to hurry, why go through the trouble of stalling the process. Why was nothing straightforward?

This was all one big clue to figure out where the map was, so that he could get to the x. If he found x he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. First he had to figure out how to get there at all.

Man's greatest equalizer appears to be X of the riddle that he needs to solve for. If he can figure out the second line, then he'll know what man's greatest equalizer is. And that will point him towards where he can find the row of boxes.

But he was more confused by the second line than anything. He could guess what man's greatest equalizer was. It was death. Right? All men must die.

But that didn't make sense with the second line.

"The first two of the middle." Edward pondered. Could "first two" mean letters? The first two letters of the middle. "Mi?" The second of the "first." Another "i."

Mii.

That wasn't a word or could turn into a word with added letters.

Edward shook his head. This wasn't the right path. He went on. "The penultimate of love." Not the ultimate of love. But next one to it. Edward thought of different kinds of relationships, parents to a child's, a romantic love, a friendship, but what did that have to do with the clues surrounding it. Edward moved on, hoping that maybe with enough foresight he could put the puzzle together. The grammar on the last phrase was different than the first two. "The beginning of end." Not the beginning of "the" end. Just the beginning of end.

"E?" Edward couldn't help going back to the letters thing.

It was firming up in his mind. E had to be the last letter. The riddle spelled a word. Obviously, this wasn't "death." It couldn't be "die" because it didn't have enough letters. There were five letters.

What if the first phrase was about the sentence above? "The first two of the middle." The middle word of "Man's greatest equalizer" was "greatest." The first two of that word- "Gr."

Gr_e.

Edward nodded. This was the right track.

Then that meant that the "second of the first," meant the second letter in "man's." A.

Gra_e.

And the penultimate of love, meant the second to the last letter of love. "V."

Grave.

Man's greatest equalizer.

The grave.

Edward flipped to the map again. The boxes on a grid. This was a graveyard. The boxes were headstones. Bella needed him to go to a graveyard.

Now that he knew what he was looking at, Edward knew of a graveyard this size with a broken down fence with gaps. He had been there only a few nights before. The forgotten graveyard in the woods. It was close.

Edward jumped to his feet and ran out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jasper caught his arm.

"I have something I need to do." Edward yanked his arm away. He had forgotten about his house arrest.

"You're not supposed to leave."

"I'm fine." Edward said through his teeth. "Check me out. I'm fine."

He heard Jasper taste his emotions. _-Confusion. Passion. Irritation. . .-_

"I'm not depressed and I'm not angry." Edward skipped forward impatiently. "Listen, Jasper, I'm in a hurry. I have to go."

"I can't let you leave." Jasper widened his stance. "Doctor's orders." His mind was going over different tactics to tackle and corale him. Hearing the commotion, Emmett jumped up onto the banister and blocked it in case Edward meant to escape that way.

"You don't understand." Edward sighed. "I have to."

"You don't have to do anything." Emmett flexed his chest and arms. "Just go back to your room."

An idea occurred. "Fine." Edward straightened up. "I'll go back into my room. No problem here."

-Did we close the security wall?- Jasper thought, confused by Edward's sudden confidence.

They stared at each other as if about to draw weapons like in an old western. Edward smiled slyly.

Quickly, Jasper pulled out his phone and opened the app to close the security wall.

But Edward was too fast. With the force of a speeding train, Edward crashed into the glass wall of his room and plummeted to the backyard. Shards of thick glass were caught around the collar of his shirt and jacket but they didn't bother him. His feet hit the ground running. In three seconds he was in the forest and out of sight. His brothers would follow him, but he would worry about that later. Bella needed him. This was the only thing he could do now.

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Alice and Carlisle arrived at Charlie Swan's house. The front door was still opened from when Edward ran away hastily. The storm door was closed, thank goodness, keeping the rain out of the foyer.

Just one set of heartbeats, coming from the downstairs bedroom. Charlie was still asleep and unaware of the terror that had befallen his household.

"Stay down here, and make sure there's no evidence one this floor." Carlisle whispered at a frequency too low for humans to hear. But Alice was frozen in the living room. When she returned from her vision, she looked up at Carlisle with a mix of awe and confusion. She disobeyed his orders and flitted up the stairs in front of Carlisle. She wanted to see it for herself.

Gently, she cracked the door open to Bella's room. Her vision confirmed. Alice turned back to Carlisle who waited on the steps.

"Bella's gone."

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Edward skirted to a halt at the broken gate of the cemetery. His brothers were 5 minutes behind him. He didn't have a second to lose. Two rows down and five columns across, but at what orientation? Depending on which way he viewed the "top", there could be four different answers. But there was a big rectangle on the right hand side of the map. This was different than the headstones. Edward looked up to see a decrepit mausoleum. A small infrastructure with overgrown weeds intwined around it's columned and broken down roof. If that was the large rectangle, and really, it couldn't be anything else, that means the map is facing west.

Two rows down, 5 columns across.

Edward stopped in front of the headstone that the x marked. Moss covered the stone. Edward wiped it off to reveal the name: Marie Isabella Higginbotham.

Briefly, Edward wondered if this was the woman in the locket. The woman Bella was named after perhaps. A crow cawed up above, and Edward focused once more on the task.

He didn't know what else to do other than dig.

Edward believed in heaven and hell. He believed there are certain things a person can do that bars them from heaven. Being a vampire with blood on your hands was one of those things. If there was an afterlife waiting for Edward, exhuming a grave would be just a drop in the bucket of sins against him.

He felt like Dr. Frankenstein, who dug up bodies, in the wilds of Scotland. This wasn't Scotland, but there was something very "Mary Shelley" about digging up an old grave in the middle of a terrible storm. Lightening and thunder crashed above him. The wind blew so viciously that more of the fence bobbed and began to be ripped out from the ground.

Edward clawed his way six feet into the earth. The dirt he kicked up turned to mud instantly. He peeled away layer after layer of sludge until he scratched wood.

He pulled the coffin out and hefted it up overhead. He broke the rusted hinge off and opened it up. Whoever Marie was, she wasn't in her coffin. Instead there was a robe with something bundled up inside of it. Edward wiped his muddy hands off on the grass before pulling the robe aside. A mask clattered to the side from the hood of the robe. A mask like the ones worn by the Caged Bee Cafe. Not like it, Edward realized. It was a mask from the Caged Bee Cafe.

Edward reached inside the robe and grabbed something cold and hard. He pulled it out to examine a beautiful diamond necklace. The same one worn by the English diplomat in the article about the Lipstick Thief.

Confused, Edward dug deeper and felt a stack of paper. He pulled out a bank counted stack of money. He realized there were more stacks still under the robe. A small metal tube rolled out from the robe's folds. Edward grabbed it and pulled the top off. Used red lipstick.

The cemetery was lit up with lightening for a fraction of a second. Edward could clearly see the items in front of him, in that time. Like a flash of intuition.

Edward sat back onto his heels, feeling overwhelmed. If this meant what Edward thought it meant. . . then Bella was the lipstick thief. . . and the underground rockstar.

Bella said that she would tell him one truth and two lies. Not two truths and one lie. This destroyed the rules of the game she set up.

If those two stories were true. . . then. . . then what about the third story?

Edward then remembered the purpose of the game. Edward played to find out the truth. But that wasn't the game Bella was playing.

I could give you doubt.

That was her game. Bella didn't care about truth or lies. Doubt was what she dealt him.

Edward shook his head. But this wasn't a game anymore.

Don't delay. Hurry, there's still time.

 _Time for what?_

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Billy hung up the phone on the wall, deeply troubled. He picked it up again and dialed Sam. While the phone rang he rubbed his left hand together nervously. It went to voicemail. Billy called Sam again. He couldn't leave a message. He had to tell Sam now. After calling three times, Billy gave up and rolled himself into Jacob's room.

"Jacob." Billy yelled. "Jacob, wake up."

"Hmm." Jacob rolled over and put a pillow over his head.

"Jacob Black! Wake up!" Billy yelled with as much gusto as his lungs could give.

"Five more minutes." Jake murmured drowsily.

"Get up now. It's an emergency."

Jacob blinked away the crusts in his eyes. "Wha? What time is it?"

"It's almost 3 o'clock."

"In the morning?" Jacob yawned, then turned over again and nestled back into the covers.

"No. Get up. You have to get Sam."

"Why?"

"Because I told you." Billy would have liked to walk out his chair and strangle Jacob for his laziness. Couldn't he hear how desperate he was? "You have to get Sam and tell him that Bella is missing."

Jacob sat up then. "Missing?"

"Yes, Charlie just called. Tell Sam that she's missing and that there was blood on the floor."

"Wait, what? Blood?"

Thunder rolled overhead.

"Do it now, boy."

Jacob trudged out of bed, pulled on a jacket, and ran to Sam's house.

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Edward reached into the robe once more and felt a picture frame in his hand. He pulled it out. There was ripped off glue on the bottom of it. The picture was another photo of the woman in the locket. The same exact features, only her hair was down. He had been right about the blue eyes that the black and white picture couldn't quite capture. He blinked. Wait.

Charlie had his arms wrapped around her. A younger Charlie. Perhaps 19 or 20. A small mustache just beginning to grow for the first time on his upper lip. In the woman's arms was a baby. Bella.

This was Bella's mother. But the woman in the locket. . . that picture was nearly 100 years old. They were the same person. How? How could that be possible?

Tentatively, Edward flicked the locks of the back of the frame out. He pulled the picture from the frame and flipped it over. On the back of the photo in elegant hand writing:

 _Bella, one day you will return to the land of your father's._

 _There is magic in the blood. Do what you must to reveal it._

 _This will be your test._

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"Go back to your house." Sam ordered Jacob as they both walked outside into the storm.

"But, I want to help." Jacob pleaded.

"You cannot understand." Sam shook his head. "Go home, Jacob."

"If Bells is in trouble, then I want to look for her."

Sam shrugged out of his shirt.

"And why are you always going shirtless now?" Jacob made a face.

"In time you will know, I'm afraid." Sam suppressed a smile. Now was not the time for levity. "I have to do this alone. Bella is in grave danger and I must act quickly. I'm already too late." Lightning hit a tree nearby, setting it ablaze. Thunder roared so loudly, it felt like the ground shook.

"That's not fair, that's not-" Jacob stopped short. His eyes grew larger and his skin blanched. Jacob almost fell over, but Sam gripped him. Sam followed his gaze. He positioned himself to shift at any moment.

A figure emerged from the burning tree. Her feet were bare and muddy. Her arms were stained with dirt and blood. Her T-shirt and shorts were smoking slightly as if they had just been on fire.

"Looks like you've seen a ghost." Bella laughed playfully. "Don't worry. I'm very much alive."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I KNOW!**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing guys!  
**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) :) :)**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

 **AN: I meant to get this chapter out a couple days ago, but I had to rewrite this sucker two times. Unlike the last chapter, this one was oddly difficult. I don't hate this version, so here it is, before I drive myself crazy.  
**

* * *

The Edge of Truth

Chapter 11: Dark One

* * *

"Are you ready?" Her mother leaned on the threshold to her bedroom. The place where she had grown up. The sun was bright and hot even in January. Dust particles floated in the filtered rays coming through the window pane.

Bella pulled the blanket from the bed over her and fell into her pillow. "You know that I'm not." She mumbled. A suitcase was open on the floor with clothes and books shoved inside.

"You know, when I was your age-" Renee started.

Bella groaned and flipped the pillow over so she could be heard clearly. "When you were my age you didn't have to hide. You weren't alone."

Renee stepped in and touched her daughter's face, but Bella turned away defiantly.

Renee stood her ground. "You don't have to go, if you're not ready to be on your own."

"I'll never go if I wait till I'm ready." Bella sat up urgently. "But don't think for a second that I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this in spite of you, to get far away from you. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for this life. So, I'm doing this my way. I'm going to be a normal person for once. And have friends. And do homework. And I'll grow up. And just be normal."

"You'll come around." Renee smiled. "It's in your blood."

"If that day ever comes, I'll die." The words reverberated around the room in an odd way. In the sunlight, the dust particles stirred before going back to their normal slow fall.

"Your pertinacity will be your undoing. Why would you do that to yourself?" Her mother narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Then after a deep breath, a small smiled played on her lips. "You just dug your own grave. I hope you know how to climb out of it. You have a lot to learn." Renee stood up and walked towards the door. "Tell your father I said hello. You're just as stubborn as he is. I wonder what will make you break." And then Renee walked away. That was the last time that she saw her daughter before she moved to Forks.

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Bella stood before Sam and Jacob. The pitch black sky seeped the grounds in darkness. The only source of light came from the burning tree. Through that fire, Jacob could see steam rise from Bella's skin. Despite the rain, Bella appeared to be completely dry.

"Bella?" Jacob blinked, completely bewildered. "Are you okay?"

Sam jolted. He looked at Jake intensely and once more tried to follow his gaze.

"I'm not hurt." Bella whispered. Jacob could hear her as if her lips were at his ear. "The Cullen's had nothing to do with this."

Jake stepped forward, wanting to go to her, but Sam's long arms stopped him. Sam kept a wary eye on Jacob. He didn't know what to do. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"But-" Jacob tried to pull away, but he couldn't free himself.

"Jacob." Bella called urgently. Her hand reached out and her fist unfurled to reveal a shining coin. It glowed in the darkness. She couldn't stay here much longer. It cost every ounce of energy she had left to be here. The concentration it took alone was excruciating to bear. Every part of her was on fire. The tendrils of the other side pulled at her, beckoning her back towards the black. But she couldn't let go without this one last favor. It was the only gift she could give him, the last trick up her sleeve. No matter what happened now, at least he would be safe. She had made so many mistakes, but this one, she could correct. Stop it before it before it got out of control. Everything else was out of her hands now. Whatever happened next were variables that she couldn't account for. She accepted it. She had no choice.

Her stomach pulled at her and she couldn't keep it together anymore. Time's up. This was it. Bella stared through Jacob's eyes and into his soul. "Tell them what you saw. Tell them what I said." Her hand flipped over and the coin dropped soundlessly.

"Bella, come inside." Jacob tried to reason. He pointed his flashlight on her, but she was gone. Where Bella once stood, was just an empty patch of nothing. "Bella?" Jacob cried, shinning his flashlight around wildly. "What? BELLA! She was just here. She was right there. What the hell?" He felt a tingle go up his spine. "Bella! Where did she go?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam finally asked. "What exactly did you see?"

Jacob blinked up at Sam. Water droplets flicked on his eyelashes. "Bella. You. . ." Jacob's stomach dropped. "You saw her right. You heard her?"

Sam controlled his face, making no changes. "What are you talking about Jacob?"

"She was right there." Jacob shook his head, offended at Sam's joke. This wasn't the time for playing games. "Quit messing with me. We have to go look for her."

Sam's skin crawled and he clenched his hand into a fist to maintain control. His suspicions were right. They didn't need to worry about Bella being in danger. Sam didn't bother helping Jake look for her, because she was never there.

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Edward traced his finger along the edges of the picture of Bella's parents. He felt like he was getting closer. But to what, he wasn't sure of. For the first time since his transformation, he felt like he was running out of time. For years, time was just a plaything. It meant nothing to him. He had eons of it at his grasp, but now, he felt like he was late. He had already started to categorize his life as "before Bella" and "after Bella" but now he seemed to be in some limbo of "no Bella". It wasn't right. This timeline was wrong. His sense of reality was faltering.

He turned back to the folder. Past the drawing of the graveyard, on the last page. There was another riddle.

I have two faces and one cold eye.

I am dead but I cannot die.

I will wake where men find rest.

I am kept close to the chest.

If your love is pure and true,

Then I will find my way back to you.

"Edward!" A voice called to him. Hurriedly, Edward threw the items he had pulled out of the coffin back in and closed the lid. He postured into defense, preparing to take on his brothers that had been trailing him after he escaped from the house.

 _-It's just me.-_ Alice greeted before stepping out from the clearing. "It's just me." She spoke like someone would to a scared child.

"What are you doing here?" Edward sank deeper into his readied position. She was supposed to be on "cover up" duty. But he quickly scanned the her thoughts.

 _The house. Opening up the door. Bella's room empty. "Bella's gone," She muttered to Carlisle._

"What?" Edward straightened up. "What do you mean?"

"She wasn't there."

"But I-"

"I know, Edward. I saw it too." Alice remembered the vision. Edward winced as he watched himself from above as he attacked her, pulled her into his arms, and bit into her. And then the vision abruptly ended.

 _-Edward, are you sure she died?-_

"Let me think," Edward rolled his eyes sarcastically. "I go into a frenzy on the most delicious blood I've ever smelled and I let her walk away? Is that an actual question?"

"Did you check?" Alice bit her lip, knowing how foolish she sounded.

"No, I couldn't bare to be there another second. Alice, I know what I did."

Alice crossed her arms. "Well, either I'm wrong or you are."

"Are you suggesting that she just got up and walked away?" Even though he know it couldn't be true, he was hoping it could be that simple. Bella just fine, like nothing had ever happened. This nightmare was just that, a nightmare. If he could wake up, now would be a good time. But then he thought about the reality. . . if Bella did survive. Then she would be changing now. She would be in so much pain. Another wave of grief clouded over him, breaking his current numb shell of protection. "Is. . . do you think . . . a transformation . . .?"

"No." Alice shook her head. _-Carlisle spent 10 minutes trying to find her trail. Even a dead body would leave something behind.-_

What was worse, a dead Bella or a damned Bella? If he didn't kill her, then she could be out there somewhere. She needed his help. "So, what, she just dissapeared? Just out of thin air?"

Alice nodded.

"That doesn't make any sense." Edward ran his hand through his hair. "I mean look at my eyes, Alice. I killed her."

"Then where is her body?" Alice sighed. They could go in circles with this.

"I don't know. It would be nice if the person who keeps seeing visions of Bella could have one now." Edward didn't want to see her crumpled up and lifeless, not again, but he wanted to stop this senseless line of questioning now.

Alice hung her head. "It doesn't make sense. I can't." She rubbed her temples. "There's just nothing." _-I don't understand. Something is very strange.-_

Edward furrowed his eyebrows remembering something. "Wait. Alice. Show me her room again."

Alice's perfect memory played like a movie. _Opening the door to Bella's room. Seeing where Bella's body should have been and it was just an empty bed. Blood on the floor. Turning-_

"Go back." Edward interrupted the memory. He focused on the mental image she projected. A smirk sprouted on his lips. "Alice." Edward turned slowly. "She left something behind."

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Jacob clenched his fists. "I know what I saw." He gasped out angrily, standing in the kitchen of his house.

Billy closed his eyes in thought, taking his time to process what his son had just told him. He tried to picture what Jake saw. The girl, her words, and then gone. Then he imagined what Sam had seen. Lightening, nothing, Jake talking to air.

Sam leaned against the door stoically. No emotion colored his face. He waited to hear what Billy said.

"She's still out there. We need to find her." Jacob pleaded. "You have to believe me."

Billy opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "I think you haven't had enough sleep. The storm must have been playing tricks on your mind. You better go to bed."

"But Bella is missing, though. You said it yourself. We need to do something. Even if you don't believe me, then this doesn't change anything. You wanted me to tell Sam for a reason. She may need our help."

"She is not your concern." Billy whispered. "Go to bed, Jacob."

Frustrated, Jacob peeled out of his rain coat and threw it angrily to the floor before stomping off to his room. He was tired of being treated like this. The door to his room slammed shut.

Sam pushed out from his position and uncrossed his arms now that they were alone. "What do we do?" He said in a low voice.

"Nothing." Billy shrugged. "If what my son says is true, then there is nothing we _can_ do." He was still troubled by it. Something similar had happened before. It couldn't be a coincidence. How had he missed it?

"And the Cullen's?" Sam hissed.

"They've been vindicated." Billy muttered as he rolled into the kitchen. Sam followed a few paces behind. "She wanted us to know that the Cullen's aren't to blame. Which, believe me, is a relief. You and Paul by yourselves have no chance against all of them."

"There will be more of us soon." Sam reminded him.

"Yes, but you don't have to charge out tonight. As far as we know, they've done nothing wrong."

"But the girl."

Billy unwrapped a chocolate bar and nibbled on a section. "Do you remember the legend of the Dark One and the Great Divide?"

"The story of how we settled in on this coast?"

Billy nodded. "Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, our tribe had lived in peace and harmony, but then the tribe developed a power similar to the one you now possess."

Sam remembered the tale. "I thought that was just a story to remember our home land."

"Do you really think that our stories are just stories still?" Billy shook his head. "You of all people, should know better, Sam." He bit off another piece of chocolate and then offered some to the young man. "An outsider woman fell in love with the chief. She granted him power to protect his people. In exchange she wanted his everlasting love. She wanted true love and incorporated "Imprinting" into the tribe's power, so that she could be sure of their bond."

Billy sighed and put the chocolate down. "But the chief didn't imprint on her. He fell in love with his brother's wife. The whole community was in chaos, men were in love with other men's wives. Women were mad if their husbands didn't imprint on them. Happy couples were torn apart and the new couples couldn't live in peace. It shattered the foundation. It caused a rift within the community.

To keep the tribe together the Chief had to tell them they had been cursed by the Dark One. He created an enemy out of the woman who loved him. They tried to kill her but she only grew more powerful. She attempted to stay to make the Chief love her, but it was hopeless. She wanted true love, but it wasn't hers. Eventually the tribe banned her completely and cast her out. She was heartbroken and furious. In retaliation she cursed the warriors with anger, and limited their ability to what she saw them as- dogs among men. The in-tribe fighting grew worse and the whole tribe nearly fell apart and killed each other. So we fled to the coast to try to start again."

Sam bit into the piece of chocolate Billy had given him. He chewed for a few seconds before looking up. "Are you saying the Dark One was real?"

"I'm saying that you should stay away from Isabella."

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"Bella!" Charlie called again for the hundredth time. With a large flashlight in hand, he trudged deeper into the woods. "Bella!"

When a kid goes missing, he usually tells the parents to stay home in case they come home and to keep them out of the way. But he couldn't do nothing. He couldn't sit on his hands while his deputy looked for his daughter. He had almost lost Bella before, he wasn't going to let that happen again. A few years back when she was still coming to visit during the summer. She was only nine. He and Billy had been fishing together. He thought she was playing with Billy's daughters and son. But he heard a scream in the distance. He ran over to the kids. Rachel and Rebecca didn't know where she was. Jacob pointed towards the tide pools and said she fell. He scrambled over to the tide pool and peered over the edge, but she wasn't there. He remembered the panic and fear that seized his body. Thinking of all the things that could happen to a child near the ocean and in the woods. Charlie had thought he was fearless, but his daughter made him realize how many things in the world there were to be scared of. He thought she was lost to them.

It was the same feeling he had now. He almost thought if he waited long enough, he would hear her giggle like she had at the beach and pop out from behind the rock. But that relief didn't come. He would keep searching until he heard her giggle again.

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Edward and Alice zipped around Charlie in the woods. He flashed his light where he thought he heard a noise, but they were long gone by the time his eyes adjusted.

Silently, they slipped back into the house. Edward opened the door to Bella's room once again.

 _-I told you. Bella isn't here.-_ Alice thought behind him.

Edward shook his head and ignored her. He knelt by the bed and picked up the small golden locket laying on the twisted sheets. "If Bella vanished without a trace, then why is this still here? She was wearing it when it happened."

He thumbed over the broken clasp, intrigued. He remembered something in the last riddle. The metal started to vibrate in his hand and grow hot.

 _-Someone's coming.-_ Alice warned. Edward heard the mental voice of a teenage boy. The car's engine was hidden in the rolling thunder. The boy seemed agitated. Something the boy had seen had spooked him.

While looping the locket over his head, Edward growled so quietly, it was nearly a purr. Quickly, he unlocked Bella's window and both he and Alice fled the house once more that night for the last time.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked as they ran through the trees. They were too fast for the mud on the ground to stick to their feet.

"You're going back to the house and you're going to tell everyone everything will be okay."

 _-Edward, I'm not sure if you should be alone right now.-_

"I know what I need to do now. I'll explain later."

Alice halted and Edward looked back at her. "I can't see what you'll do."

"I know." Edward nodded.

"Bella." Alice breathed. "Is she alive?"

"I'm not sure." Edward shrugged. "But I know two things to be absolutely true. I love her and I always will." Edward backed up and began running again.

"Edward." Alice called after him. "Did you solve her game?"

"There's nothing to solve." He replied back. "The question is do I believe."

"And do you?"

"With every facet of my skin."

Edward ran back towards the graveyard. Kneeling by the empty coffin, Edward pulled the locket from his neck and inspected it once more. While wearing it, it warmed his chest. The metal was still hot. Carefully, he swung it open.

Two things happened at once. A coin fell out. Then a flash of light burst forth, illuminating everything in eye sight. Dousing the surrounding world in white. Blinded by the sudden brightness, Edward shielded his eyes. The locket in his hand began shaking and growing hotter. It rattled in his grasp and a high pitched screaming pierced the night. Fearing that it would catch on fire, Edward dropped the locket into the empty grave.

"No!" Edward yelled, not wanting to lose sight of the object. But the moment it hit the earth an invisible force pushed him back. It rolled out like an electromagnetic bomb, distorting the air waves. He was propelled through the air and landed on his back about ten paces away. Still shocked, he scrambled to his feet. He crawled back to the grave and reached his hand in to pull the locket back out. Instead he grabbed a hand.

She giggled at his surprise.

"Bella." Edward breathed in relief. There was shift inside himself and he could feel a perceptible change in the air, but it had nothing to do with the sudden change in the storm. The rain let up, and the skies cleared. The dark clouds shriveled up and dissipated.

"You- it worked." She smiled back softly. She stared up at Edward's red eyes. "Oh, Edward." She sighed. Her throat was hoarse. "I owe you an apology and my deepest gratitude. Edward, I-"

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" Edward scanned her for any injuries. Her hair cascaded down her face. A large strip of hair had turned white near her face. He looked at her neck, expecting to find a gash of some sort. But there was just a tiny silver crescent shaped scar that looked a few years old.

"I will be." Bella breathed. "You have nothing to apologize for. As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She smirked her famous wickedly cutting smile. "But um, do you mind?"

Edward realized a bit too late that Bella was completely uncovered.

"Oh, um, sorry." Edward forced himself to look away, even though he never wanted to stop looking at Bella.

"No, I mean. Can you help me out of here? If you haven't noticed, I'm sort of standing in a wet grave."

"Oh, of course." Carefully, Edward pulled Bella out. After he hoisted her up, she wrapped her arms around him. Edward froze, 1) because he was afraid to hurt her again and 2) he didn't know what to do with his hands.

"You love me." Bella whispered into his shoulder. It wasn't a question.

He decided that now was not the time to worry. He had just pulled the girl he killed out of the grave. Reality had no meaning here.

"Yes." He answered. Edward placed his arms carefully on her bare back and pressed her to him, greedily. Her skin was soft, but not too warm. In fact, she felt the same temperature as he did.

"Are you cold?" Edward pulled away reluctantly.

"No. I'm fine." Bella grinned and she squeezed him back to her once more before letting him go. He didn't expect her strength. "But I guess I should find something to wear." Bella looked down at her naked body and then back up at Edward, who was taking great measures not to stare. She laughed at his bewildered and embarrassed expression.

"Here." Edward strode over to the casket to his right and pulled out the robe inside.

"That'll do." Bella swaddled herself in the folds of the robe and tied it off with the sash. "Now." She breathed and grabbed Edward's hand. "What's next?"

"What do you mean?" Edward cocked his head to the side.

"What do we do now? Now that we're here."

"I'm not sure." Edward ran a hand gently through Bella's hair, tucking the white strands behind her ear. Everything about her fascinated him. More now than ever. Her heart was beating gently as it had before. It took him until now to realize that he didn't crave her blood anymore. She smelled good, like before, only there wasn't any horror behind it. The monster inside of him wanted nothing to do with the girl in front of him anymore.

"I don't know either." Bella blinked. "I spent so much time planning to get to this point. I didn't think about what we'd do if it actually worked."

"Maybe, let's start there." Edward cupped his hand to her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He still couldn't believe that she was here and he was touching her. He couldn't believe that after everything that he had done and seen, how normal it felt. "Why don't you explain how we got here?"

"Well," Bella breathed and stepped towards him. She wrapped her arm under his shoulder and nestled her face into his chest. "That's a long story."

"I have time." Edward picked her up into his arms and began carrying her back to his house. "I have all the time in the world."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Do you smell that? That's the smell of answers getting closer.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **A lot of people were hoping for a reunion in this chapter and I didn't want to disappoint. So I gave you a little something to snack on.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

Last time on The Edge of Truth:

Edward attacked Bella, but when Alice and Carlisle arrived on the scene, her body was gone. Charlie called Billy, who alerted Jacob and Sam. Bella appeared before Jacob to tell him that everything was fine, but only Jacob could see her. Worried that she had gotton lost in the woods, Charlie began searching for her. Edward followed more of Bella's clues, which lead him to a grave that gave evidence to a truth behind all of the original statements about Bella's identity, but the important one was that Edward believed that she was more than human. He dropped the locket that had been around her neck into the empty grave and Bella arose out of it.

* * *

 **The Edge of Truth**

Chapter 12: Perfect

* * *

The door was unlocked and Jacob stormed inside. "Charlie!" He called out. The entry way light was on, but the rest of the house was quiet and dark. Charlie's keys were still hung up and his car was parked outside. Bella's too. He wasn't sure why he came here. Everything pressed on him heavily from all sides. He left through his bedroom window while his father and Sam were talking about another god damned legend in the kitchen.

He took a moment to breath. His father didn't believe him. Sam didn't see her. But Jacob knew what he saw. It was real.

He went up to her bedroom but couldn't make himself go inside. He shouldn't be here. He felt like he was invading privacy. He just stood outside her door a long time.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw her standing by the burning tree. And then, just as she had by the tree, he would blink and she would be gone.

He shuffled back down the stairs. Maybe he was going crazy. He plopped down on the couch and just stared at his hands for another length of time. Why was he here? He felt like a stranger here, but he couldn't leave. Not yet. Not without any answers. Frustrated, Jacob picked himself up and walked back into the hallway. He leaned his forehead on the wall. The new day had started to rise. The sky was a dark blue, lightening every minute.

It didn't make any sense, but Bella spoke to him and only him. No one else could see their conversation. He saw her, in a very intimate and explicit way, like looking at a glass house. There was something raw and intense about her. He couldn't shake it. He couldn't let it go.

The house phone rang and Jacob nearly jumped out of his skin. His head was on the wall where the hanging phone was and the vibrations startled him. He stepped back and stared at the phone, not sure if he should answer for Charlie or not when he didn't know where he was. But then he thought if someone is calling at this hour, it must be important.

"Hello?" He picked up the receiver.

"Charlie?" An unfamiliar female voice answered on the other end.

"He isn't here." Jake's voice dropped when he realized it wasn't _her_. "He went out to look for. . ."

"Bella?" The woman guessed. "We have her here. This is Clarice with the Olympic Peninsula Hospital. Deputy Ringer called and said she was missing, but she just came in a moment ago."

"Is she okay?" Jacob gripped the phone tighter. His dad did mention there was blood. No one ever goes to the hospital late at night without something really serious. He started to panic. What if Bella was dead and he really did see her ghost before she left the mortal realm.

"Who am I speaking with?" The voice sounded a little suspicious. Her hard skepticism brought Jake back down to reality.

"I'm her friend. We were really worried about her."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. Is Charlie there? He needs to sign the release forms."

"Release forms? So, she can go home soon."

"The doctor just cleared her. I really should be speaking to her father. Is Charlie there?" The woman persisted.

"He's searching for her. I'll get him and let him know." He guessed Charlie was somewhere in the woods. Of course, he would be in the woods on a dark and stormy night. Everything about tonight felt bad and off.

"Thank you. Make sure you do."

Before he hung the phone up, there was a loud slam and Jacob jumped once again startled by the noise. The door swung open and a figure stood under the yellow porch light, dripping wet, even though the storm had stopped.

"He-Hello?" Jacob gulped and dropped the phone to the floor.

"Who's there?" The man called gruffly. "Oh, Jacob?" He stepped inside and Jacob could see that it was only Charlie.

"Oh, yes." He responded breathlessly, trying to calm his heart down. After everything that happened, he felt like he aged by a couple of years.

"What are you doing here?"

"Bella. The hospital called." Jake pointed to the phone dangling by the coiled cord.

Immediately, Charlie turned around again and grabbed the keys hanging up.

"She's fine!" Jacob called out and tried to follow him. "Well, the nurse or whoever couldn't tell me anything but she said there was nothing to worry about."

Charlie didn't slow down and didn't answer. He got in his cruiser and headed to the hospital.

Jacob watched him go from the porch. He realized he was alone again. He looked back inside the house and his skin started to crawl again. Quickly, he closed the door and paced to the white sedan. His father never took him to the hospital, even when he had to get stitches last year, but it was a small town and he knew the way.

"Where is she?" Charlie stormed into the ER doors. There was only one check in clerk that doubled as the triage nurse on the graveyard shift. "Clarice, where is Isabella?"

"Room 4, left hand side. I'll buzz you through."

There was a mechanical sound and a click. Charlie swung the door open and followed the patient rooms till he got to room 4. He knocked and the door creaked open under his pressure.

Bella was lying down on the crinkly white paper chair. Her fingers were clasped together and she was gazing up at the tiled ceiling, counting how many there were. "Dad?" She sat up when his frame blocked the light from the hallway.

"Bella, are you okay?" He nearly tripped inside and latched onto her.

"Woah, yeah. I'm good." She didn't expect the full body hug.

"What happened?" He held her shoulders and stood back to examine her. Her eyes were slightly red. Her hair was different. He couldn't tell what it was. Was that white stripe always there? He couldn't remember. The plaid shirt she was wearing covered her thumb and the gaps between the buttons were loose. "Why are you here? Why didn't you call me?"

There was another knock on the door. "Ah, Charlie, good you're here."

"Dr. Cullen." Charlie straightened up and turned to shake his hand. "Good to see you. I wish it were under different circumstances though. I'm always seeing you in the hospital with my daughter."

Bella rolled her eyes and laid back down a little defiantly. The paper crinkled underneath her. "Walking accident." She mumbled under her breath.

Charlie looked at her and then back up at the doctor. "So, what happened?"

Bella eyed Carlisle meaningfully. Her smirk crept on the right side of her face.

"Well," Carlisle started.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Carlisle was getting ready to start his 5am shift at the hospital. It was only just four o'clock, but he always got there early to relieve the doctor that was assigned overnight. Sharing shifts was part of the act of blending in, even though Carlisle could work around the clock. But humans had fatigue. Even more of a reason to come early and relieve Dr. Eckles, when he wasn't prone to such weaknesses.

"Maybe you should call out." Esme grabbed his arm. "We don't know what's happening. We may need to leave. Alice doesn't know where Edward went." The confusion and worry in her voice and face crushed him.

Carlisle shook his head. "Until we know what's happening, we need to pretend like everything's normal and keeping going about our normal business. I can't promise that everything will be okay, but we have to keep calm."

Just then the front door opened. Esme peered outside Carlisle's study and gasped. Instantly, Carlisle joined her side.

"Edward." Esme said in a hushed voice. Her hand at her chest.

Edward walked in with a big black bundle in his arms. Carlisle blinked. The bundle had a heart beat. And then the bundle spoke. "Oh, did we stop?" Two small arms poked out from within the folds of the black fabric and raised a hood up. "You weren't kidding."

"Fast?"

"Uhuh."

Edward chuckled. "Everyone," He looked up, light heartedly. "This is Bella."

Six vampires stared wordlessly at the two of them. Bella pulled the hood covering her head back down around her neck and she smiled at the astonished faces staring back. "Hi everyone." She looked up to Edward's face. "You can put me down now."

"I know." Edward responded, but made no move to do so.

"I can make you put me down." Bella whispered into his neck.

He grinned. "I know." Instead he carried her to the couch and sat down, keeping her cradled to his chest. She securely sat in his lap, and Edward was completely at ease.

Carlisle quietly observed her, noting the differences in her. Her skin was smoother, slightly paler, with the slightest hint of a shimmer, but that would be unnoticeable to the human eye. Her eyes appeared to be healthy. Her heart rate was normal. The white in her hair, an obvious reaction to great stress, but the rest of her appeared to be perfectly functioning.

"Um. What?" Rosalie threw her hand in the air, the first to breech the subject.

"I told Alice everything would be fine." Edward shrugged. "She didn't believe did she?"

"Well. Fine is relative. And no, I didn't believe you." Alice skipped into the living room. She stood on the other side of the room and tilted her head looking at Bella warily. She seemed unnerved and slightly miffed. "Are you blocking me?"

Bella shrugged. "Probably. Blocking what though in particular?"

"My visions."

Bella's eyes grew huge and she leaned forward, struggling against Edward's arm. "You're a soothsayer?"

"Well, not exactly." Alice blinked at the term. "I just see visions of the future."

"That's amazing." Bella's smile grew wider. "I've tried my hand at that. I'm not particularly good. Though I did see Edward, but it's finicky. That's my grandmother's specialty."

"Wait, you saw me?" Edward pulled her back towards him. "What do you mean by that?"

Bella nodded enthusiastically. "Well, I saw us. It's sort of hard to describe. I saw that your light and mine intertwined. But, I wasn't sure. Again, I'm not good at divination."

"I saw you two as well." Alice breathed.

"I repeat: Um. What?" Rosalie tucked her hands across her body.

"Yeah, um." Emmett scratched his head. "Can we back up? Like, how is she alive right now?"

"Oh, that." Bella shrugged nonchalantly. "Lots of planning actually."

"You knew Edward was going to. . . to kill you?" Jasper gripped the back of the couch, standing next to Alice. He sensed no danger.

"Not exactly. But I knew I had to die." She exhaled slowly.

"Why?" Edward's red eyes stared at her, trying to read her mind as always.

"I was cursed." Bella spoke quietly, her smile was gone. "I was dumb and made a huge mistake. I was rebelling against my mother and I said words I couldn't take back. I didn't think I'd find a reason strong enough for me to awaken." She touched Edward's cheek lightly. His anxious expression softened. "I'm so sorry for that. I'm sorry I put you through my mistakes. I've made so many."

"You could have told me." Edward sighed. "You could have just said what was going on-who you were. I would've helped."

Bella shook her head. "The thing is, I couldn't." Her smile returned mildly as she arched an eyebrow. "You wouldn't let me." She poked her finger at his chest. "I'm forbidden from speaking my truth with another inhuman who is keeping their own secrets. It's part of how we've been able to survive. My kind has been burned before by others. Which is why I had to resort to riddles and puzzles and games to get you to believe. That had to be your decision and choice. You had to come to that conclusion."

"Oh." Edward sat back. He imagined a different scenario where all this could have been avoided if he had told the truth from the beginning. If he hadn't lied, if he hadn't tried to keep his secrets from her, how different things would have been.

"Nope." Rosalie shook her head. "Didn't back up far enough. How are you alive right now?" She stared directly at Bella for the first time. "What are you?"

Edward and Bella exchanged a glance, as if they were having their own conversation between their eyes. She nodded slightly and took a deep breath. "People have given us many names over the ages."

"Just need one." Rosalie narrowed her eyes. Bella may be able to play games with Edward but she wasn't going to be able to go that route with her.

Bella opened her mouth and then closed it again. She looked up at Edward and motioned for him to lean down so she could whisper something in his ear. When he did, she placed her hands on each side of his face.

He nodded, gently kissed her forehead, then released her from his lap.

Bella got to her feet. She stretched side to side, reaching her fingers out and stretching up on her toes. It was morning and mornings, she could always feel the most connected to her body. Whether you knew why or not, she looked imposing for someone so small and seemingly delicate. She stepped towards Rosalie, tracking a small layer of mud on the wood floor. While she grew an uncontained smirk, Bella drew the hood over her head. When she was about a foot away from Rosalie, Bella folded her arms up in the sleeves and bent her head down. Every part of her was covered up by the robe. In the next second the robe fell to the floor. The arms and hood collapsed unsupported. Where Bella once stood, just a pool of fabric crumbled on the floor.

Esme and Emmett gasped. Rosalie's eyes got wide. Jasper pursed his lips. He could still feel her emotions. Edward found that revelation fascinating. Mostly, because it meant that Bella was probably somewhere butt naked in his house. A thought he would like to dwell on more at a later date.

They looked at him expecting an explanation. Edward just shrugged. "Don't look at me."

"Well, that didn't answer any questions." Emmett eventually found his voice. Rosalie laughed despite herself. "She's really bad at giving answers, isn't she?"

"You're not asking the right ones." Bella said from the second floor hallway. As she walked down the stairs, she finished buttoning up a plaid shirt she stole from Rosalie's closet. Rosalie's pants she had put on were too long, but they would do. "I'm not a 'what.' It's what I have."

Carlisle folded his hand under his chin. "And what do you have?"

"A forgotten relic of the universe: sorcery." Bella sighed while plopping down on the couch.

"You're a witch?" Carlisle raised his eyebrows.

She contemplated it for a second. Edward watched her carefully, from all the minds in the room.

"If you like." Bella shrugged. "I guess it's close enough but it wouldn't be the word I use."

"And what word would you use?" Edward trailed his hand down her arm comfortingly. He felt a jolt of excitement, learning more about her.

She watched his hand move up and down for a moment in silence while collecting her thoughts. "A parasite." She finally muttered. She turned back to Carlisle. "You know about diseases. It's not a perfect metaphor, but well, let's say, I'm one of the last carriers of man's deadliest adversaries."

"And what would that be?" Carlisle raised his eyebrows.

"Magic." Bella blinked like it was obvious. "Humans fear it. They can't control it or bend it, or use it. So they destroyed it. Well, they tried to. Left unchecked, magic tears them apart or it eats them alive. The power and raw energy that was central to the creation of their very earth has no place in its creation anymore other than it's ability to survive. Like a god whose people don't need him anymore after he straightened out their rivers and gave them fire." Bella's lips twitched and she closed her eyes. "But like any disease, we found ways to adapt, to hide, to lay dormant through the ages, quietly working behind the scenes in humanity without them ever noticing. When you try to kill bacteria and you get this close," Bella pinched her fingers together. "But a small piece survives, the bacteria grows back with new immunities. Stronger-better than before." Her voice was growing more animated. She looked up to Edward with a fire in her eye. "Which is why you needed to kill me. I wasn't strong enough before to be with you. I was more human than you could bare. My body was weak and played prey to your predator, but now we're evenly matched." Bella picked up his hand and squeezed. Edward winced as she crushed his hand with her grip. "Adaptation." Bella murmured, admiring her new strength. "I was able to preserve a piece of myself into the locket. When you bit into me, that weaker part of me died, and with what was left, I could restore myself, using the weapon that would have destroyed me as a blueprint for reconstruction." She furrowed her eyebrows and the light in her eyes faded. "I'm scaring you."

"I-no." Edward objected. "You're just-"

"Creepy."

"No."

"Revolting."

"No, you're-"

"Too different."

"No." Edward laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "You're impossible."

"In a bad way?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "In a frustrating way. But that hasn't changed." He combed through her hair. "You're still Bella. You're perfect."

"I'm not like you." Bella muttered. "I'm not sure what your kind's origins are. They may be similar to mine, but we aren't the same."

"It doesn't matter." Edward assured her.

"Even though I may be physically similar to you now, I can never be one of you." She warned.

"I should hope not." Edward traced a line down the side of her face with his nose.

"Okay." Bella breathed.

"Okay." Edward repeated calmly. "When I first tried to get into your room." He remembered suddenly. "What was pushing against the door?"

"Oh." Bella blushed suddenly. "In my sleep, I lose control. If I'm not conscious the magic in me can become temperamental and has a mind of its own. I almost killed a girl who tried to have a sleepover with me once. So I set up wards to keep people out and if someone does manage to get in, they wake me up."

"Wards?" Jasper asked.

Bella had almost forgotten the others in the room. She nodded at him. "Like a protective barrier."

"The magic." Carlisle tapped his chin. "What is it? How do you use it?"

"It's energy." Bella explained. "Creative and destructive energy. Like a potential new cell, it is matter in it's most simplest form that can be turned into anything. Even time itself."

"But you said humans can't use it. Are you not at least partly human?" Carlisle asked further.

"Yes and no." Bella bit her lip. "I'm a hybrid. That's how we've been able to live and coexist. Can't defeat 'em join 'em kind of thing. I have more DNA from my mother than my father. That's what counts. There are others like me."

"Your mother?" Edward guessed.

"Yes. And my sisters." She folded her hands in her pocket.

"You have sisters?"

"Dozens." Bella replied. "Maybe more. I've only met a few." Bella said a little reluctantly. "See, I'm the youngest. There hasn't been a . . . well a witch born in nearly 150 years. Most of them want nothing to do with me until I've matured. Or," Bella raised her shoulders. "They won't stop pestering me. Because I'm the first in so many years, there's a lot of . . . expectations."

"Is that why you moved here?" Esme questioned.

Bella nodded. "It was overwhelming. I just wanted to figure it out by myself. Which is when I started making stupid mistakes, but I'm new at this." She waved her hands at herself.

Emmett thought about something for a second. Edward nodded, thinking it was a good question. "Do you have any brothers?"

"Sort of." Bella narrowed her eyes. "The gene that allows the magic to coexist in human bodies develops differently in males. Most males die in the womb or get rejected from the start."

"But there are some that survive?" Carlisle followed.

"There were." She allowed, but didn't elaborate.

"Bella." Esme stepped forwards. "If you don't mind me asking." She looked between her and Edward. "How long exactly do um. . . what is the average life span of. . . your kind?"

"Mom." Edward said in a disapproving tone.

"She doesn't have to answer." Esme defended herself.

"Matter cannot be created or destroyed and neither will I. I was always something, but I was brought to life by my father and mother. And I will always be now."

"How very interesting." Esme nodded as if she understood everything Bella said. She just wanted to know if Edward would have a partner now to walk through his endless years with.

"I will live indefinitely." Bella summed up for Esme. "You should see my mom. 690 and doesn't look a day over 20 years old."

"Woah." Edward breathed. "Is that why she left?"

Bella nodded. "Divorce is the best thing that man has ever created, according to my mother." She rolled her eyes. "Before that, in order to not arouse suspicion she would have to kill her husbands. She fancies herself a black widow." Bella's fist tightened. "Charlie is one of the few men who lived to tell the tale of Renee. Can't exactly stick around with human men for very long and never age." She looked at Edward and laughed. "My mom is gonna hate you." Her smile grew wider. Then suddenly, Bella stood to her feet. "Speaking of my father. I think I should be getting home now. We can talk more at another time."

"He was in the woods looking for you." Alice chimed in.

Bella sighed. "He'll be more watchful after this." Her fist was still clenched and she shoved it in her pocket.

Edward pulled at her arm. "You just said you never age and you can't be around human men for very long. Where does that put you with Charlie for the long term?"

She looked up at his eyes, they were hard and serious. She laughed. "You don't think I'm gonna kill him, do you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know anything about you'll do, or what you're capable of."

"I'm not particularly close with Charlie. It will be easy to stage an argument, like my mother did, and leave. But it is a bit of a problem. I will admit that. Mom didn't want me coming here while he was still around. Which is why I wanted to."

"What happened between you and your mom?"

Bella pursed her lips and moved her head to the side. "A falling out of sorts, you could say. But I think I understand her better now. Carlisle," She turned around. "I think I know a way of explaining what happened tonight. I don't want to keep Charlie on edge."

Edward walked with Bella to the garage. Carlisle opened the passenger door before slipping into his mercedes and starting the engine. Bella stepped towards the car, but Edward pulled her back.

"I don't like the thought of letting you go. I buried and resurrected you today. I don't want to leave your side."

Bella grinned. "I know." She placed her left palm on the side of his cheek. "It'll only be for a moment. I love you too." The words whispered into his neck and caused a tingling sensation down his spine. Carefully, Edward leaned his head down but he hesitated right before their lips joined. Not like one hesitates if they're not sure of themselves. But like how one hesitates before a kiss to gauge the other one's reaction. Like how a man kisses a woman he loves.

Bella closed the gap. In another second, Edward wrapped his arms around her, picked her up into the air and spun her around. She laughed into the kiss and it was like a joy was transferred between them.

Eventually he set her back down. "This has been a very strange night."

"A very long night." Bella yawned. "No more lies?"

"No more lies." Edward nodded. He couldn't imagine keeping secrets from her anymore, couldn't even imagine wanting to. He could imagine every day spending time and trying to figure out the girl he loved.

"So, the lipstick thief?" Edward laid his arm over the car door as Bella stepped inside. "And the music group? They were all true?"

She laughed again and then bit her lip.

"Ah, ah. No more lies." Edward reminded her.

"Do you really think a 15 year old, magic or not, could pull of those heists? That was one of my sisters, Tessa. She's a bit of a klepto. She gave the contraband to me for safekeeping. I thought our grandmother's empty grave would be a good spot to keep secrets."

"And the Caged Bee Cafe? Was that another one of your sisters?"

"No. I started it actually, but I retired about a year ago."

"How did you know what it looked like then?"

"I have eyes in many places." Bella grinned and pulled her feet into the car. "Oh, Edward. Tomorrow is your turn."

Edward cocked his head. "My turn?"

"Mhm. I get to ask the questions. I don't really know anything about you either."

Edward watched as Carlisle and Bella reversed out of the garage and out of sight.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Well," Carlisle breathed. Charlie was still waiting for an answer to what happened. "I was on my way in to start my shift and I found Bella walking down the side of the road. She was sleep walking."

"She was sleep walking?"

Bella yawned. "Sort of an ongoing issue since I was little. I thought I would grow out of it, but it's actually gotten worse since I moved here. I didn't want to bother you with it. I try to lock my doors so I won't get out. But I guess I'm outsmarting myself."

"It's happened before?" Charlie looked at her worried. He had no idea.

"Yeah, I usually wake up in my room, or somewhere else in the house. Last time I did something like this though, I woke up near the school." She leaned back on the crinkly paper.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." Bella moved her shoulders up and the paper ripped with the movement underneath her. "It's just sort of normal for me. I didn't really think it was something to share, I guess."

"There was blood in your room."

"She did have a cut on her arm when I found her. It didn't require any stitches. Nothing serious." Carlisle chimed in and gestured to the white bandage on her arm.

"I probably tried to grab something like a pair of scissors or something." Bella said and then yawned once more. "Can I go home now?"

"Yes, you're all set."

Charlie shook Carlisle's hand. "Thank you so much for finding her, Dr. Cullen. I've been worried sick. Is there something she can do for future episodes?"

"I've given Bella a brochure with some tips. But she's been treated for somnambulism before. Unfortunately there's no particular cure. Usually it flares up when they're in unfamiliar places, so it would make sense to me that it would act up again moving here. A place so different that what she's used to."

"Oh." Charlie nodded.

"And don't worry about the ER fee. I just gave her a ride and a bandaid. She's perfectly fine."

Carlisle said his goodbyes. He shook Charlie's hand again. "Keep out of trouble, Bella." He winked at her before ducking out.

Jacob bounced his leg nervously in the waiting room. He stood up immediately when he saw Bella and Charlie come through the double doors.

"Oh, brother." Bella sighed.

"You." Jacob started as they got close. "You're-"

"I'm just fine. Geez, dad, did you tell the whole town?"

Charlie blushed. "I was worried."

She groaned. Jacob eyed her over and couldn't find his voice. He didn't know what to expect, but he didn't think she would be standing taller and somehow more beautiful than ever. This wasn't the girl in front of Sam's house. Maybe he was going insane. His misgivings threw him off balance.

He walked them to their car in silence and watched as they drove out of the parking lot. Something didn't feel right, but he wasn't sure what it was. He reached into his pocket for his keys. He realized then that his lucky silver dollar coin he kept on the keychain was missing. For some reason it made me think of the moment Bella vanished in front of him. A crow cawed near the tree next to his car. He shook the feeling off and drove home. Perhaps his dad was right and he made it all up in a sleep deprived state.

Bella leaned back in the cruiser's passenger seat and watched as the colors in the sky brightening from blue to pink. She took a moment to congratulate herself. With all the variables and risks, it couldn't have worked better. She got what she wanted and she still did it her way, better in fact than what her mother intended.

She was stronger than all of them now. Her smirk played on her pale pink lips. She had what her mother never could keep: Love.

Magic could conjure and create many things, but it couldn't recreate that. No. Bella had stumbled onto it accidently. And so young. But unlike so many of her sisters significant others, Bella could keep hers. She would never be alone now.

Even better, she was resurrected from the enemies of her brothers. The enemies of her brothers are her allies. And now her lover. She did love Edward. There was no amount of planning that could have prepared her for that. It all worked out so perfectly. She couldn't have dreamed how well it had all played out. Bella pulled the coin she stole from Jacob's keys when her car broke down and began flipping it in the air. They won't be able to stop her. She almost laughed. All this time she had been so worried about not meeting everyone's expectations, but here she was, having exceeded them. The thing about diseases is that they know how to cut off their weaknesses. Now that she had shed her own, she could focus on her real goal. The dogs would be handled next. Her sisters wouldn't have to worry about them for much longer.

A crow landed on the awning of her house. She grinned at her sister Tessa and gave her a thumbs up before going inside.

Bella silently crept up to her room. Charlie called the school and told them she would be out and gave her privacy. She closed the door and crawled into bed.

With closed eyes, she found Edward's chest and snuggled her head there. He had been waiting for them to get back from the hospital. She felt safe in his arms. Knowing everything would be okay now, she let herself rest, though, she would never need to sleep anymore. Everything would be better than okay. Perfect. Forever.

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 **The End**

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 **AN: Thank you guys for reading and encouraging me. This is it. This is the end. I'm a big believer in ending when the game is up. And the game is up. I know there are a few loose ends. Send me your questions and I'll try to encorporate what I can into a final epilogue.**

 **As always, thank you guys for reading. Thank you guys for reviewing. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the journey.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**

 **p.s. Shout out to mysticfighter111 who has basically been picking up what I've been putting down this entire time. I couldn't say anything about it until now. But good job.**


	13. The Edge of Hope

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

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 **The Edge of Hope (chapter 1 excerpt)  
**

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"Almost there." Bella breathed through her teeth. She climbed up the tree one limb after the other. Sap brushed onto her palms and then smeared across the bark on the next branch. She was almost to the top now. The limbs were unsturdy. She would have to jump to reach the top. Bella crouched around the slim trunk. Her toes curled for better leverage. She inhaled the crisp air and watched as the sun sank slowly into a pink horizon. She flicked her wrist. The gold watch read half past seven.

"You're late." A figure swung back upside down, balanced by her legs wrapped around the branch above Bella, bat style. Long red hair sweeped the limbs below.

Bella smirked. "Nice to see you in human form again, Tessa."

"I haven't gotten used to these arms. Just look at 'em." The young woman flailed her arms out into the air. "They're useless. Can't fly. Can't stick to walls. Can't stab or crush things on their own. Humans are so strange. I've been watching them for two hundred years and I still don't understand how they've survived so long. I like what you've done to your hair. You look nice, I guess. For a humanoid. Going somewhere?" Tessa untucked her legs and flipped upside down, landing lightly next to Bella.

"Thanks. I have a hot date." Bella tucked her hair behind her ear, forgetting Alice placed a flower there. "So I need to make this quick." She leaned carefully against the tree trunk. "The chain reaction was already set off when I got here. I didn't do it. I was already too late."

"You were distracted." Tessa accused.

"There wasn't anything I could have done. If I followed mom's advice the situation would be much worse. I had to change my plan. I thought I had a few years to control it, but it was out of my hands already. Do you know the exact numbers? I've only counted two."

"Yes, I've been following them. Only two for now, but since the chain has started, more will join them. Filthy inbreds." Tessa scowled. "This isn't good." She crossed her arms and sighed.

"You need to be careful. They're onto me." Bella warned.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm quite the shadow." Tessa smiled.

"Good."

"But If you didn't ignite their formation, who did?"

Bella smirked. "Their natural enemies. Come on, Tess. You've been my eyes this whole time. You know that." Bella stretched her arms out. The last rays of the sun shimmered on her skin.

Tessa's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you can trust them? You know what happened with Maddi-"

"It's not like that."

"You're young." Tessa grimaced. "You don't know what we've been through."

"And yet you have me fighting your wars." Bella scoffed.

"This isn't war. It's retribution. And no one said you have to do this on your own."

Bella was about to make a comeback but her phone started ringing. Ed Sheeran's latest single vibrated from her chest.

"What the hell is that?" Tessa sneered as Bella pulled her phone out of her bra.

"You've spent too much time in feathers." Bella rolled her eyes then motioned for Tessa to leave.

"This isn't over. I'll see you around." Tessa muttered before elegantly jumping from the tree. The wind whooshed around her as she fell. Right before she hit the ground, a black cloud surrounded her. When the smog dissipated, Tessa was gone.

"Hey." Bella hit the green button.

"Where did you run off to?" Edward's bell like voice greeted on the other line. Bella couldn't help the smile creep up on her face.

"Why don't you come find me?" She teased.

"Is this another one of your games?"

"Do you want to play?"

"I'd rather take my girlfriend to prom." Edward said.

"Oh, is that tonight? Darn. I forgot."

"Bella." Edward sighed. She could almost hear him raise a single eyebrow at her.

"I'm kidding." Bella rolled her eyes. "I'll be waiting for you to pick me up. I'm the girl in the tall tree with the long satin gow-." She screamed.

Edward jumped right in front of her. His feet landed lightly between hers. His chest was right in front of her face. With the hand not holding the phone up to his ear, he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. "Gotcha." Edward laughed. She heard it from himself and the phone still pressed against her ear.

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 **This has been a sample of Edge of Hope  
**

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 **AN:  
**

 **Thank you for all the feedback I asked for. It's been so nice to know that you all want more from me.  
**

I'm working on my own novel. So updates will be less frequent than my usual posing habits. I thought I should give you a fair warning. But I do have lots in store to look forward to.

I will be posting the sequel on it's own seperate story. This was just a teaser. IT IS LIVE.

 **Stay tuned, my lovely readers.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing as always.**

 **xoxo**

 **Rosalie**


	14. Final Author's Note

Hey my dudes,

The sequel is LIVE. If you haven't already, make sure to follow it and say hey in a review so I know you're out there. The first chapter is the same I teased here, except I added a new beginning, but the rest of it is MOSTLY the same, with a little more fluff. I'll start rolling out new content shortly.

The Edge of Truth did not make it into the top ten on twifanfictionrec best of June. BUT I'm still stoked that I was even nominated. I'm new at this and I don't have the following as most of those nominated. Thank you to all who voted!

I hope you enjoy this next installment. See you in the sequel.

xoxo

Rosalie


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